Bloodborne Twin
by kyro2009
Summary: After being trapped in the other world for a long time, the Good Hunter finally returns to her native home; to a world of bloody evolution. With temporarily no memories of her past but the hunt, she heads to Beacon Academy at the behest of a familiar friend in hopes of finding her true identity and her family. But nothing is as simple as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

BloodBorne Twin Chapter 1

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodborne or RWBY. The former is owned by FromSoftware and the later is owned by Rooster Teeth.**

The night was nearing its end. The Good Hunter felt it from the very start as soon as she woke up to the sight of a burning manor. The Plain Doll, as usual, stood in the same spot, never caring to look at the burning inferno that raged behind her. With curiosity showing behind her hooded kabuki mask, the good hunter walked up to the Doll for information. She simply wanted to know whether or not the feeling she was having was right.

"Good hunter, you have come," said the Plain Doll, "Dawn will soon break... This night, and this dream, will end. Gehrman awaits you, at the foot of the great tree." She points her white wooden finger towards the path to the gate as she says it, "Go on, good hunter..."

"I see, thank you," said the Good Hunter, so her feeling was right, everything is going to end for good, and she will soon be free of this curse.

She strode through the gate with purpose, but she halted within ten feet beyond the gate to look at the new scenery that was now all around her. She was treated to a graveyard covered in white flowers. Her eyes widened with surprise and awe as she beheld the beautiful scene. Even as the manor burned behind the gate, it only made the scenery all the more beautiful. Perhaps master Gehrman tended this place in honor of his lover of yore, Maria, or perhaps to honor the countless hunters that came through here. She may never know, but she did remember one thing; she had seen these flowers before back in the Astral Clocktower. But she mustn't be sidetracked, she was summoned by him after all, and patience wouldn't exactly be a virtue at a time like this.

Through her mask's right eye slit due to the strands of hair covering her left eye slit she saw, past the field of flowers and under the great tree, sat Gehrman. He was in his wheelchair, waiting patiently for her. He must have known that she would be back at this hour and knew what he must do, but so did she. With determination coming back to her senses, she continued on through the field of gravestones and white flowers, and finally up the hill to the tree.

"Good hunter," said Gehrman, "you've done well. The night is near its end. Now, I will show you mercy. You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun. You will be freed...from this terrible hunter's dream..."

"Wait," she interrupted in a gentle but stern manner as she held her hand up to silence him, "Before I'm freed and returned permanently to the waking world, I wish to give you something as thanks."

He raised an eyebrow at this. "Hm? What is it?"

Never in all his life in the dream did a hunter ever give him a parting gift. He severed countless hunters from the dream as a way of gifting them freedom from the hunt, but not a single one had ever given him anything in turn. He never asked for one, nor did he need one. All he had ever done was guide them on the path of the hunt and then severed their connection when the night was over. So this caught his curiosity, what could this hunter possibly have in giving him back, even during a time like this?

She walked up to him with her hand reaching down onto a weapon that looked awfully familiar. She undid the straps to the weapon and pulled it off after she came close enough and knelt down for him to see. "For you," she said, and to his surprise, what she held in both hands was Lady Maria's favored weapon, Rakuyo. He was speechless, he reached out hesitantly with trembling hands, and once he had a good grip on Rakuyo, he held it firmly close to his chest.

He looked down at the weapon in silence. He remembered how he admired the elegance of its design and how it worked. Seeing this brought so many memories flooding back to his mind. To his youthful days as the first hunter and his time with his student Maria, but it also brought back the regrets he made long ago. Oh, if only he could get just one chance to change all that. If only he were brave enough to tell her those few simple words, but that was just wishful thinking. It was all too late for that.

Suddenly, tears began to escape out of his eyes and tried his hardest not to cry. "Oh... Maria."

The Hunter stood watching in silence, contemplating whether or not it was the right thing to do. She learned that these two had a history together as student and master, but she didn't know how close they really were.

"Tell me hunter," said Gehrman after he wiped away the tears with his sleeve, "where did you find this? What happened to Maria?"

She was hesitant about it, not because of what would happen if she told him she killed Maria, but because she didn't want to bring up all those horrible memories of the nightmare that she traversed through. No longer needing to keep stalling, she cleared her throat before she began her short story. "While I was hunting in the Cathedral Ward, I was taken by an unknown force to a wickedly different world, one full of hunters and beasts fighting each other into eternity. I soon learned that it was called the 'Hunter's Nightmare', a place where hunters, or perhaps anyone associated, go to when they become too drunk on blood to live, or by other means."

"This place made me curious. It made me wonder how this place existed. So I travelled, and eventually discovered a research hall, belonging to the Healing Church. It was... disturbing to say the least." In truth, it was worse than that. Even if she was making her story short, she still did not want to mention anything of what the members of the Church did to those patients. She could still see them vividly in her mind. Those lanky looking creatures with large, eyeless, pulsating heads. And the constant wails, their manic screams; they disturbed her more than any other encounter. At least she ended their suffering, as morbid as it may seem knowing her profession.

"After that," she continued, "it brought me to the Astral Clocktower, and that was where I met Lady Maria. I... had to kill her in order to go further."

"I see," he replied somberly.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, a moment when a pang of guilt and anxiety began to grow within her for telling him what she had done. Just when she thought she was going to regret it, he surprised her with an answer of his own. "I'm still not sure how she died in the waking world, and neither should I want to know. But who you fought in that tower was simply her consciousness, and for that," suddenly, to your next surprise... he smiled. He gave you a genuine, sad smile. "...Thank you... for releasing her from her shackles. Her nightmare."

"I did what I had to," she said, "as for the Rakuyo, I found it down a well in a fishing hamlet I went to next, and from there I used it to kill the Orphan of Kos, and released him from the nightmare." (She did leave out one small detail about how she got the sword, but that's a story for another time)

When she mentioned a fishing hamlet though Gehrman shuddered at the memory of his crime. "Yes, I remember that place. I remember the atrocity we committed, all in the name of 'pursuing knowledge' they said. Looking back at it now... I'd say it was out of pure insanity."

"I used to have these sorts of dreams you know," he continued, "reminding me of my past deeds." He then smiles again, "but it seems I have you to thank for... for releasing me from my burden."

"I'm glad that I could help," she said as she gave a sad smile, but her expression then changed to that of a pleading look, "but I have a question, two if you do not mind."

He frowned, he looked to her in contemplation, and having impatience growing inside him. After a moment he decided to give her a little more time despite the dream about to die at any moment. "Go on."

"Firstly, what will happen to you now that this will end? And secondly... will I be able to remember my past once I wake up?"

That was somewhat of an interesting question coming from her, but why would she care about what happens to him? Either way, he answered back, "I will still be around, guiding hunters after you are gone. And as for your memories, you will lose everything that happened in the dream and on the hunter's night. The memories of those you have before the hunt will come back to you soon after, that I promise you."

"I see, it does sadden me that you won't be able to come with me; to live out the rest of your days in the waking world in peace. But I think I understand why you must stay. As for my memories, I'm glad I will soon remember my past in the end. Thank you."

He nodded, "So then," he said as he props the sword against the tree and slowly gets off his wheelchair, "are you ready?"

"Yes," she answered as she nodded.

She sat down on her knees facing the opposite direction. Gehrman grabbed the blade from his hip and swiftly connected the blade to the staff unfolding behind his back, creating a scythe. This was the Burial Blade, the first trick weapon made by Gehrman himself.

As Gehrman held the scythe blade to her neck, the Hunter remained still, her face virtually expressionless with her mask on, but underneath it was the expression of being at peace. This was her plan all along since the start of her career; to take the contract, fulfill her duty as a hunter and slay the source of the beastly scourge even without her memories of who she was. Although along the way, she discovered the true meaning of Paleblood, it did not deter her from her goal. She had no desire to transcend the hunt nor did she want to ascend as a Great One. Home was her ultimate goal, it was what drove her, it was what kept her sane after everything this horrible world threw at her. In the end, she finally found a way and took it, and now she would finally go back home; to be with a sister she could not remember but only in a picture inside her silver locket which hung by a chain around her neck.

But unbeknownst to her, something... or someone, had already known who she was, her plan and her current plight. It also knew where she truly came from, and had decided to fulfill her wish in their own way.

"Farewell, my keen hunter." He pulled back the scythe to make ready. "Fear the blood." And with that said, he swung the scythe down to her neck but... it didn't happen the way Gehrman expected it to do countless times.

When the scythe was to cut through the flesh and bone of her neck it only went through air. The supposed to be sacrificed that was once the Good Hunter was now a ghostly outline of arcane energy that dissipated after the scythe went through the neck portion of the outline. This incident has left the feeling of an unfinished ritual, and a dumbfounded Gehrman.

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Here sat the hunter, fast asleep against the base of a tree in the middle of the woods. Dusk had already started as the suns rays shined down sideways, only to be blocked mostly by the natural canopy of leaves. A gentle breeze went swaying the leaves to make more or less cracks in the natural roof to let the suns light shine through. It gave off a somewhat of a mystical atmosphere, even as the setting sun had begun to make the forest grow dark. All throughout the forest a symphony of sounds could be heard, from the chirping of birds to the creaking of bugs and the scuffle of small critters. Although this was also a home to the soulless creatures of Grimm, nature simply went on as usual. As soon as the gentle wind died down, the Hunter began to stir.

She opened her eyes, but her vision was dark and blurry at first. After blinking a few times, she realized she was still wearing her familiar Kabuki mask, which felt odd. After that little discovery, she steadily got up, took a stretch, and surveyed her surroundings.

"Where am I," she asked herself.

The first thought that came to mind to this dense and darkening forest was that she had appeared in the Forbidden Forest again. However, the vegetation was too green and healthy to be anywhere near the image of it, and there was no trail in sight. This place looked rather beautiful as far as she could tell.

'I wonder what the air smells like,' she wondered to herself as she lowered her hood and took off her mask. Once off, she took a deep breath through her nose and with her eyes closed. Sucking in the taste of that fresh, nature scented air, and for the first time in her long life... she never thought it would smell so good. There was no scent of blood, no stench of a rotting corpse, there was nothing wrong in the air that would relate to the Forbidden Forest. When she finally exhaled she went into a calm state of bliss until she breathed in more again and again. She believed that she would never get used to this feeling of peace, and for once it felt good.

But the peaceful moment ended when the bush to her left started shuffling. On instinctual reflex after plenty of accounts of being ambushed out of nowhere, she dropped her mask, and pulled out the Blade of Mercy and her hunter pistol from the folds of her hunter garb. She aimed the pistol at the shuffling bush. Some thoughts of how her weapons came into her possession had occurred to her, but for the moment she set it aside to stay focused on the coming battle. Of course, all that preparedness for a fight came for naught as, jumping out from the bushes came a little rabbit. It's fur was grey, its ears were large and long, and judging by its size she could estimate about six pounds.

And so its entrance made her situation... awkward.

'I got jumped by a rabbit, seriously?' She mentally berated herself as she lowered her weapons and shook her mask-less head, "I must be losing it."

After realizing it was a false alarm she looked at the weapons currently in her hands. How did she still have these weapons, and how did she still remember their functions? Getting even more curious, she put away her weapons and investigated what else she still had on her. She still had fourteen quicksilver bullets, three bone marrow ashes, four throwing knives, a hand lantern, the old hunter's bone somehow, two fire papers, two Molotov's, a flint lighter, Simon's Bowblade along with six quicksilver arrows, and a bag of twenty shining coins. Sadly, she didn't have any blood vials, of course she only used them in case of emergencies, and her small travel bag was gone.

'Maybe they were a byproduct of the dream? Of course, no wonder I was able to carry so many items.' Unfortunately it means that most of her tools were gone, but something else occurred to her. Why was she still able to remember all of these items? She then thought back, and to her horror she still remembered the hunt and the dream.

"How is this possible," she muttered in shock.

Gehrman did tell her that she will forget everything she went through. So why is she still remembering it all?

"Jasper!?"

The sound of a boy (very young by the sound of it) echoing throughout the woods broke her train of thought, and to her ears he sounded almost close by. She panicked, it felt too soon to be seen by people, and what if that boy sees her and runs back to a village full of people who hate outsiders being in their territory? Not wanting to take any chances, she could only think of one choice, hide.

She kneeled down to pick up her mask, but just when she was about to grab it, she was surprised to see the rabbit was at her feet without her noticing. Here was this cute and harmless little creature not being afraid of her at all. Perhaps it's tamed, and if the boy calling out the name came out as any indication, then this must be his pet rabbit, Jasper. Of course, that means if she tried to hide, the rabbit would either be making enough noise to lead the boy here or follow her around to reveal her position. She couldn't let either one happen, so she had another idea along with the first. She grabbed her mask, putting it back on as well as putting her hood back up, grabbed the rabbit (now named Jasper), and hid behind the tree she once laid against.

Once behind the tree, she continued to hear the boy calling out to Jasper while she continued to hold onto the rabbit, amazingly not making a sound. However, when she took a step back to adjust her position, she accidentally snapped a twig under her heeled boot, making her freeze up. The snap was loud enough that the boy also heard it, as evident by the sound of his gasp.

"Jasper?" The boy called out in excitement. She then could hear the shuffling quickly becoming louder, the boy was closing in on the location until the shuffling stopped. The boy called out to Jasper again with still no response back from the rabbit. What was surprising to the Hunter was that Jasper the rabbit still didn't make any noise. He didn't even make so much as a struggle while holding on to him. She wondered if she had done something wrong to him, but when she looked down the rabbit was just fine. She was holding him in her arms firmly but other than that he was fine.

After a moment of waiting for the boy to leave, the unexpected happened. She heard the boy...sniffling?

"Jasper," said the boy albeit somewhat weakly, "where are you? Why aren't you coming back?" Then the boy cried, followed by a thud. As he continued to cry the hunter was feeling conflicted whether or not she should give the rabbit back. As much as she felt sorry for the boy losing his rabbit, she still couldn't bring herself to show herself and ask him for help. All she wanted to do now was find her sister and family, and to finally live in peace without fear of anything coming after her.

Well, it was easier said than done, she realized.

Truth be told, she had no idea where she was or which direction to go. Sooner or later, she would have no choice but to find someone for help. Being in Yharnam, however, taught her that no one would want to help a so called 'Outsider' as she was commonly referred to as. Try to convince herself as she might, she was totally and utterly lost without help.

In her moment of internal conflict, she was broken out of her train of thought by the faint sounds of grunts and soft whining squeaks loud enough for her to hear over the crying boy. Following the sound she looked down to see that it was coming from Jasper. Then an idea hit her. What if she were to give the rabbit back to him as a peace offering? That way, the boy would be more willing to give a good word for her so the locals would help her find her way home. It would be a risky gamble, but what better way to find help than by starting with him.

Taking the risk and gathering enough courage, she took a deep breath, then she slowly walked out from behind the tree.

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 **Author's Note: So here it is, the first chapter of my first FF story. So what do you guys think? Was it good, bad, terrible? Let me know what you think in the reviews, and if you have any questions about my story please leave me a PM.**

 **Shoutout goes to DocHoliday0316 and CruxMDQ for the beta reading because you guys are awesome. Check out their stories if you're interested in what they've got cooked up.**

 **Oh, before I forget, since many of you might be confused as to what the mask looks like, I'll tell you. It's one of the masks the Nobushi wear in For Honor.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bloodborne Twin Ch. 2**

 **Bloodborne belongs to FromSoftware and RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth**

 **U/N: Just made an update on this chapter. I fixed a certain part of this chapter due to my realization of an error in the geography and sun dilation. So I'm sorry if this came up in your email.**

The boy sat there in the small clearing, on his knees, crying. Tears were streaming out and his eyes were starting to get puffy. He was confused but mostly heartbroken as to why his rabbit Jasper would run from him. He always took good care of Jasper since the day his parents took him out to the pet shop and bought Jasper as a birthday present. Since then, for three years, the two had been inseparable. So imagine his surprise when Jasper decided to hop off his arms and run straight into the woods.

It just didn't make any sense, why did he do that? Did he do something wrong? Was he not holding him right? Perhaps the call of being with nature was stronger than their bond? The questions swirled around in his head, but he couldn't answer them; he was too devastated to think about them.

He was about to accept that Jasper was gone and never coming back when, hearing past his own sobbing, he heard footsteps ahead of him. He looked up, and coming from behind the tree was a stranger in a strange yet ominous outfit; the white wooden mask draped under the hood being more ominous especially, but the stranger was holding something in her hands. He looked more closely and realized that what she held in her hands was a rabbit, but it wasn't just any rabbit. He could recognize that grey fur coat anywhere.

It was Jasper.

"Is this your rabbit," the stranger asked somewhat nervously as she offered Jasper out to him. Meanwhile the Hunter observed the boy in detail. He had pale white skin, blue eyes, and brown, medium length hair. He wore navy blue overalls, a white striped t-shirt, and brown tennis shoes. She could only estimate that he was around the age of seven or eight.

After realizing she was still holding Jasper he stood up, but didn't come any closer to the offered rabbit. He felt very nervous around her, not only because he felt a very ominous aura about her, perhaps due to her outfit, but because she sounded nervous towards him too. Which to him it sounded strange coming from her. So when he looked at Jasper he realized he showed no struggle whatsoever, as if he felt comfortable around her.

'Maybe she's not that threatening,' he thought.

For the moment he still struggled to decide whether or not to accept Jasper back from the stranger hands, but suddenly she got down on one knee while still offering out Jasper.

"Well?... Do you want him back?" She asked calmly.

At that moment he finally made up his mind, if Jasper wasn't afraid of her, then he shouldn't be either. Taking a brave step forward, he cautiously walked up to the stranger holding Jasper, and after a few more cautious steps he gets a good hold of him, then pulls him away from her and took a few steps back while holding him firmly but not tightly. From feeling the fur coat with his hands as he pets him to the sound of him purring, it made the boy feel so relieved to have him back as it made him smile softly.

But then there was still the stranger that was still kneeling before him, and now that he was standing somewhat close to her, he had a better look at her outfit. There were four things he noticed on her person.

One: there were silver bullets and knives slotted along her bandoliers.

Two: a strange, highly decorated pistol strapped to her left coat hip.

Three: a strange blade strapped to her left hip which also was underneath her coat.

And four: there was a larger weapon strapped to her back. It looked like the handle and hilt of a sword peaking out from behind her right shoulder.

Judging by the gear and ammo she had on herself this could mean only one thing, but he just had to ask to confirm it.

"Umm, are you a huntress?"

She paused, she didn't know what to tell him. While spending her long night in Yharnam, she was told from the voices of the angry Yharnamites that the hunters were never as liked as they used to be. Of course, in their blood induced madness they always hated outsiders since they believed that they were the ones who started the curse when in fact it was the Church which started the mess with their quiet, extensive abuse of the Old Blood. Which led to even more atrocities during the time. But this was not what gave her pause, because instead of calling her "Hunter" the boy called her "Huntress." The name sounded vaguely familiar to her, yet she couldn't remember where she heard the name. She could ask him what "huntress" meant but it would more likely draw more suspicion and fear. She could only hope that it had the same profession in killing monsters.

On the outside, though, it only took her three seconds to come to a decision to just answer honestly and hope for the best.

"Yes," she answered.

The boy took only a second to process her answer before turning his face into surprise, and it was not a look of fear but more like, excitement?

"Oh my gosh that's so cool," yelled the boy ecstatically, and for once in her entire nightly career as a hunter this reaction REALLY took her by surprise.

"I have so much I wanna ask you," he continued as he started asking questions faster than her mind could process. "Do your weapons have names? Can I touch them? What's your Semblance? How many monsters have you killed? Can I have your autograph?"

Meanwhile, the Hunter kept being mentally taken more aback with each question thrown at her while her mind tried to make sense of it all. Why is this boy being so excited about seeing a hunter? Hunters were hated and thankless, not loved and adored.

And what the bloody hell is an autograph!?

Before her mind could go into overload, she had to stop him from asking so many question.

"Whoa, please, slow down will you," she chuckled softly as she put both her hands up in a gesture of telling him to stop. Stopping him made the boy feel embarrassed for the outburst.

"Heheh, sorry about that. It's just that you guys are my heroes," said the boy sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment with his one hand while still cradling Jasper in the other.

'Did he just call me a hero,' she asked herself mentally while still being surprised by the boy's optimistic view of hunters yet again, but she shook the thought of heroism to the back of her mind. Her night in that cursed city showed her the horrible reality of what being a hunter really is. On the Hunter's Night, there were no heroes; just a bunch of killers doing their job, keeping the city safe from being overrun by the plague no matter the cost, and the only people who were called heroes eventually gave in to the blood and became the monsters they hunted. Sure, she saved a few from being killed during the long night because of her conscience, and there were only three people who thanked her kindly for helping them. But it just felt like it wasn't enough.

She was never cut out to be a hero.

"Look, I'm...," she began to say, but she never got to finish what she was going to say when she suddenly saw flickers of light deep in the forest. Then they both heard someone, more like two someone's. An adult woman and a man by the sound of it, calling out to someone else in the woods. The tone of their voice sounded desperate and worrisome.

"Lavi, Lavi where are you!?"

"Where are you son!?"

"Mom, Dad," Lavi asked himself.

He didn't know why they were looking for him at first, but then he realized after looking around him that he was deep in the woods where he shouldn't be. He was told many times by his parents to never go in the woods, but he got so worried when Jasper ran away into the forest that he threw caution to the wind without a thought. So now he was here, with Jasper in his arms and being completely lost. He would have been scared if only the huntress wasn't there with them.

He turned to see the Huntress still kneeling there but her hooded mask had turned slightly to the right in the direction of his parent's voice. Before he could say anything she beat him to it.

"Those must be your family, right," she asked calmly and with a caring tone. He replied with a nod, "how about I take you to them, just to be safe."

"Okay," Lavi happily agreed, more than eager to be reunited with his mother and father and leave this forest.

The Hunter stood up in the direction of his mother, then looked down at him as she extended her left hand out for him to hold on to. "Stay close to me, and don't try to call out to them until we're close enough, okay?"

"Okay," he reach for the Hunter's hand with his right hand after putting the rabbit back down, and soon, with both their hands held firmly together they walked (and hopped) into the thick woods in the direction of Lavi's parents.

For a minute they walked through the darkening woods in silence as she lead him towards the moving lights where his mother and father seem to be at, calling his name from time to time. The reason they were being this quiet was because experience had taught her that beasts could be lurking around any corner. Call her paranoid but she'd rather be safe than sorry, but Lavi's parents on the other hand didn't seem to know how to be more subtle even though she understood their current plight. Although in hindsight they did provide themselves as a beacon for the two to find them, but the resulting danger still remained the same. Which is why the two of them started walking a little faster to reach them before something bad happens, but it didn't take long for the parents to spot them.

"Who's there?" the father gasped.

The light suddenly turned in their direction, stopping the two in their tracks. It blinded her even with her mask on, so she couldn't tell who was flashing at her. At least they didn't have to come any closer. And for some reason she had an odd feeling that two guns were being pointed at her.

"Who are you, wait...," it took a moment for the man to realize that someone standing waist deep in the bushes was with her, and to his surprise and joy he recognized the boy as Lavi along with the rabbit, "son!?"

"Dad," Lavi called out, he loosened his grip on the hunter which became her cue to let go of him. Both father and son ran to each other, the boy's mother being close behind. Soon his father stopped and kneeled down while at the same time spreading his arms out, ready to hug him. The two finally came to an embrace, his father holding him a little tighter as if fearing to lose him again and soon Lavi's mother came to their side and laid her hand on the boy's shoulder as they both spoke of how glad they were that he was okay. The rabbit of course stayed by his master the whole time.

Meanwhile the Hunter observed the couple from where she stood now that that blinding light wasn't on her anymore. From what she could see from her position; Lavi's father had brown, short scraggly hair, an angular bearded face, and light tanned skin. His muscles were above average when noticing his sleeves rolled up showing his arms. From what she could see of his clothing he was wearing a red tartan pattern shirt, cotton jeans, and hiking boots.

Lavi's mother had light pale skin, her face being sharp and angular. She had red, shoulder length, wavy hair. She had a hard time seeing her eyes but she figured they would be green knowing them. She was skinny, that much she could tell even with the clothing she wore. She wore a long sleeved denim shirt, cargo jeans, and gym shoes.

What piqued her interest more than their appearance were the items they had in their hands. She had a flashlight in her left hand, something that she had never seen before, and the man had a lantern strapped to his hip, but those were not important. What got her attention were the suspiciously confirmed weapons that were once pointed at her, but they looked more foreign than the hunter weapons she was fondly familiar with. The woman held what seems to be a rifle with a flashlight strapped under the barrel and had an action lever in her right hand, and the man had on the ground what looked like an updated version of a blunderbuss with a straight barrel.

Anyways, after a minute of giving a few words of relief to the boy their mood then changed to the one thing that parents knew best... to that of scolding.

"What were you thinking going into these woods all alone son," the father scolded him after he set his hands on both sides of the boy's arms, "we told you not to go into these woods!"

"But I was worried about Jasper," he replied, his voice disheartened and his head lowered in shame.

"I know you care a lot about Jasper, but you do remember that Grimm don't harm animals," his mother said sympathetically yet at the same time felt more like a scolding.

"I'm sorry," his head continued to stay low while Jasper stood up with his front paws on his as he tried to give him comfort.

The father sighed, but then he realized he almost forgot about the stranger with the outdated outfit and the strange hooded mask standing silently behind them the whole time, making him a little apprehensive. Especially when said stranger seemed armed to the teeth with weapons that looked too strange and outdated to be useful against the Grimm. He then addresses his son again, "I'm just glad that you both are all right," that helped lighten his guilt as he looked up to his father with a soft smile, but he wasn't done talking yet, "but tell me, who's this stranger you brought with you?"

His soft smile faltered a bit, and he looked back to see the Hunter was still standing several feet away from them. Then he smiled again at the thought of introducing them to the Huntress.

"Oh, she's a Huntress, she's the one who found me and Jasper," he explained as he turned his head back to looking at his parents.

"Actually," said the Hunter neutrally, surprising the two adults and making all three of them to look back at her. That made it her cue to step forward making the parents clutch the child a little closely. She understood the reason given the circumstances of her presence, and so she continued forward until she stopped just a foot away from them, "it was these two who found me." Her answer made Lavi's parents look confused, be she wasn't finished yet.

"And yes, I am a Hunter," she finished. To her it felt like a little white lie somehow when saying it to the boy's parents. Even though to them it sounded like the truth, but in her mind the definition of "Huntress" seemed to vary differently from "Hunter." Although she wanted to say that she had retired as well, but she decided not to on account of needing to gain their trust.

"Are you sure," asked the father skeptically as he stood up with his shotgun in both hands, "you seem to look more like a highwaywoman than a Huntress."

"Appearances can be deceiving," she countered, "but I can assure you, I have killed plenty of beasts so I know what I'm doing."

He took only a moment to think on her words. The way she called herself as a "hunter" felt a little off, but every word she spoke of on killing these 'beasts' sounded true and with a hint of pride. Maybe by 'beasts' she referred to the Grimm, he wouldn't know. He should give her credit though, she did keep the boy safe and close to her while escorting him to them, but that still left with the question of trusting this stranger. Because of his long career he had seen plenty of colorful Huntsmen and huntresses with up to date designs, but to see a huntress of such outdated and near sophisticated attire he would have hazard a guess that she was old, but her voice sounded like she was young so like she said; appearances could be deceiving. Guess he just would have to trust his gut instinct and see it for himself when it happens, but for now he just wanted to get his wife and child back to the safety of the village before the sun is down, and having an extra gun would not hurt if she agreed to help.

He looked back at the strange huntress, "We're heading back to the village before nightfall, want to come with us? It's better to have safety in numbers and all that."

"Certainly," she nodded and replied. It didn't take much thought for the Hunter to agree, considering she needed insight on where she currently was and a safe place to stay for a night or two.

"Good," he then looks down at his son, "now hold your mother's hand, okay son?"

"Okay," he grabbed hold of his mother's hand and soon after that, the four of them, plus Jasper the rabbit, went in the direction of the village while Lavi's father took the lead.

They all walked in silence save for the snapping of twigs and the rustling of grass, the rising sounds of bugs and the croaking of frogs. Which after a while of walking things started to slowly tense up all around them as the sun kept slowly sliding down behind the vast forest and making the place grow even more dark. The three adults were on alert; the father holding up his dimly lit lantern in the direction ahead of him and pointing his shotgun, his finger on the trigger, in any direction that sounded or even looked off. The mother meanwhile did the same thing as she looked from one side to the other with her lever action rifle (with the flashlight being turned off) in one hand, her finger also on the trigger. Meanwhile the Hunter didn't move her head but listened to anything that was out of place, her hand staying very close to her hunter pistol.

It stayed like this for a while until someone finally broke up the tense silence.

"So miss Huntress," asked the mother kindly which got the Hunter's attention, "my name is Ginger Clansy, and my husband's is Quinn."

(It's not really in a southern accent, just letting you all know)

"Hey," added Quinn passively as he continued to scan their surroundings.

"What's your name?"

"...Ella," the Hunter answered neutrally though a little reluctant.

"You sound like you don't want to talk."

"It's not that, it's just that I'm not used to having conversations."

"Why is that?"

She sighed, "well... in my line of work, I tend to keep staying busy hunting that I would rarely stop to even talk," she kind of half lied. It's not that she didn't want to start a conversation with these people, heck these were the sanest people she had ever met. It's just that most of the Yharnamites she met would rather kill her and never ask questions. It was that terrible a night that there were only a few sane people left who had gotten to know her name, and having conversations during the Hunter's Night was vanishingly rare for a hunter in Yharnam. It was conversations like these that helped her feel human and sane, and this was a way of building trust rather than shooting, or slicing, or murdering.

"So you're a solitary Huntress," asked Quinn curiously after hearing the conversation unfold.

"Yes... I am."

He hummed and nodded, then he returned to his lookout, but out of curiosity he asked her again while looking straight ahead. "Well if you don't mind telling us, where are you from Ella?"

"I'm from... I'm from...," Ella faltered, she searched through her memories to find the name of her homeland, but for some reason they kept coming up blank. This may be bad given her situation. All that she could remember was that it started with an "A" or an "M".

"Argh, I-I can't seem to remember my homeland, I think it... starts with an A... or an M, or was it a V," she says this while planting her hand on the forehead part of her masked face. This amnesia of hers was going to get her into more trouble than she realized. Thankfully, they were willing to help her out, making her feel a little glad that they had no idea about her predicament.

"Is it Atlas," he asked.

They were rather surprised that she couldn't remember the name of her home Kingdom, much less the continent. How could one who had worked as a solitary huntress forget her home they may never know.

"No, that's not it," she replied as she shook her head, although she would admit it sounded a little familiar.

"Is it Anima? Mistral?" asked Ginger.

Suddenly, a memory started appearing in her mind. She remembers playing with who she assumes is her sister in a largely fenced yard. They were playing next to a small, manmade pond filled with koi fish as they threw fish feed to watch them eat. 'Could that be my homeland,' she thought, but she couldn't linger on the thought since she had to make her answer, even if it was a lie, on a more positive yet neutral note.

"Yes," answered Ella, "I believe that's the place, thank you."

"You're welcome, though I'll admit I'm a little confused as to how you couldn't remember your kingdom."

"That," added Quinn, "and why you're so far away from home."

"It's... too complicated for me to explain, I just don't want to talk about it." She didn't want to tell them. 'Besides, will they really believe that I was trapped in a world full of blood, plagues, death, and bestial monsters? Probably not,' she thought.

"I see, well we're getting close to the clearing, so let's stay quiet until we get behind the walls."

'Walls,' she asked herself.

As much as she wanted to ask about this village she had to get back to staying quiet and listen. That's when she heard it, coming from behind her. The noise it was making was a good distance away but she could hear it lurking about, snapping twigs and moving through bushes, and it was never in one spot for too long. When she looked in the direction of the noise she could only make out half of the shadowy creature, and what looked like spikes protruding from its back. This thing somehow reminded her of something as an image came in the form of an older woman reading a story to two little girls. The Hunter could only assume that she was one of the girls, and as for the story, it was something about monsters, but she could not remember their names.

It was not only her but the tight knit group heard the commotion as well, making them more alert than ever.

"We need to move more quietly, so keep your heads down," whispered Quinn.

They all went down to a crouch as he turned off his lantern and continued slowly to the edge of the woods, making sure to stay as quiet and careful as possible. For a while they remained undetected while the unknown creature lurked about, being none the wiser. It confused Ella, her hunter experience had taught her that any predator with a nose can sniff out prey, but it would seem that this beast was trying to sense something else. As she continued to ponder on their behavior and just when they were all near the edge...

SNAP!

The snap of a twig was heard, and it didn't come from anywhere else but the group itself. They all froze where they crouched, all three pairs of eyes looking to the one culprit responsible. It was the boy himself as he kept his foot on the snapped twig feeling very guilty and scared of what would happen next. Then suddenly they heard a snarl like that of a wild dog echoing from behind them, making them realize to their horror that the creature had heard it too; not surprising considering the snap was considered loud enough to be heard by almost any animal in the forest.

They all looked, including the Hunter, in the direction of the noise, and to what she could see through the darkness that it was clearly standing up now; glaring at them with its glowing red and yellow eyes that were like the pits of hell. It had a skull with red markings that gave off an intimidating appearance.

Then it roared with an instinctual hatred for all sentient beings as it charged toward them.

"Cover your ears, son," Quinn barked.

The boy closed his eyes and covered his ears as hard as he could, knowing what was coming next. Then the three adults stood up and brought their weapons to bear, took aim, and fired when the beast came halfway. Quinn and Ginger fired their Dust rounds at the monstrosity; Quinn's Fire Dust Pellets littering its body while one of Ginger's rifle bullets blew off one of its arms at the joint. It was quickly taking so much damage to a point where it ceased to function as it crashed to the ground, dead and now disintegrating, but it wasn't the Dust rounds that put down the beast. It was a well placed shot between the eyes by a single quicksilver bullet, fired by a hunter pistol that instantly put the beast out of its bullet filled misery. Even if it was ignoring the pain in order to fulfill its malicious objective.

Ella lowered her smoking pistol now that the beast was dead. Now that it was close enough she could clearly see what it was. It looked like a werewolf due to its size, the shape of its head and the prominent ears. It would have looked like a scourge beast if it weren't for the strange skull mask and the protruding spikes on its back and limbs. It even made her raise an eyebrow because it was billowing smoke out of its body as it slowly disappeared.

Suddenly the sight of this black beast gave her flashing images of drawings, some of them resembling exactly what they are, from the hand of a child to a detailed drawing, and in those images the voice of a woman who sounded older and vaguely familiar gave them a name.

Beowolf.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Quinn barked out orders. "When there's one there's more, we need to run, Now!"

As if on cue the growls of many beowolves could be heard throughout the forest. Quinn slung his shotgun to his back, and picked up his son. Soon, everyone was running out of the woods and onto the field revealing the fortified village; its walls being made of both stone and wood. Outside the walls were farmhouses yielding small crop fields. And surrounding it was the open field that stood between the village and the woods giving the defenders a strategic view.

They were halfway through the field when Ella stopped and turned towards the woods. She could see the malicious, glowing red eyes staring back at her from the dark woods.

"Ella what are you doing! Come with us!" yelled Lavi when he turned to see the Hunter's back to him.

"Be with your family, child," said Ella calling back as she turns her head halfway, "I'll take care of them."

"Don't worry son, she's a huntress, she can handle herself," said Quinn reassuring him as he continued to carry the boy to the fort along with his wife and the rabbit.

While they ran for the safety of the walls the Hunter prepared herself for a fight against a somehow familiar foe she never faced before. As the beowolves crawled out of the woods she pulls out Simon's Bowblade, and in one swift motion the blade splits in two, transforming into a bow. She grabs a quicksilver arrow from the side of her coat and knocks it to her bowstring. She pulls it back, and as the bowstring stretches so does the arrow. She crouches into a fire ready stance, readying her aim.

When one of the beowolves roared, it signaled all the others to charge, and once she chose her target she let loose the arrow as one thought ran through her mind. They better have enough numbers to take her on, because tonight...

The Good Hunter joins the hunt.

 **Well here you go, Chapter 2 is done. I hope I've written this well enough to keep her identity a secret for now. As for her PTSD, as Evinco messaged to me in a review, I'm not sure about that yet. I know I'm never going to have her lash out at an entire village just because she mistook a few Faunus for the beast plague, but she is going to have some form of PTSD knowing she still remembers Yharnam.**

 **So let me know what you think of this chapter in a review.**

 **See you next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

Bloodborne Twin Ch. 3

 **Bloodborne belongs to FromSoftware and RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth.**

The arrow blazed through the air until it was halted halfway through a beowolf's heart and body, killing it instantly as it collapsed. Ella nocked and fired another arrow in quick succession, and then another. She was able to kill three beowolves, all perfect shots straight at the heart, before the soulless monsters were upon her.

The closest beowolf lunged at her from above, but its pounce was rewarded with an effortless cut through its unarmored chest by the sword version of the Bowblade as she made her charge.

Without stopping she instinctively dodged by rolling under a swipe from the second beast, only to cleave the third one behind it in a powerful, deadly upward slash. A deceptively powerful spin, and her blade sliced the second one in half diagonally downwards.

She lunged to stab through the chest of the beowolf that tried to grab her. It was a miss, but she did not allow that to stop her; she pulled back the sword instead, did a twirl around the now smoking corpse, and slashed another one next it, dead.

She ducked under a swipe and sliced open its stomach, bringing the soulless beast down on its knees. She pulled out the Hunter Pistol, aimed it at its face and pulled the trigger...

Click!

Her eyes widened in surprise and became confused, why did it not fire? That little moment of distraction, however, was enough for the wounded beowolf to take a clawed swipe at her. Caught off balance, she could only attempt a parry that deflected the claws, but not the blow. She was sent flying away, her pistol knocked loose from her hand.

She had but a split second to notice she was going to land right next to a trio of the beasts coming at her on all fours, but that was all the warning she needed. She landed on her feet, charged at the closest one, and pounced exactly before she was sliced to ribbons by a clawed hand. The heel of her boot found a beastly snout, and as the monster shook its head furiously to get rid of her, she activated her blood magic and used it as a springboard to jump high into the air while she was about to be attacked by the two trying to help their comrade. She transformed the sword into its bow form again in mid-jump, spun around as she nocked an arrow, took quick aim at the three beasts and fired three quick, precise, lethal shots, leaving her now out of arrows.

Below her, the large pack clustered around her expected landing spot. Thirty feet high in the air, she noticed this, and as gravity reclaimed her, she switched her sword for a flint lighter and a Molotov, lit the cloth on fire and tossed the makeshift firebomb at the gathered pack. It struck a beowolf squarely on the face and exploded, showering three others with liquid fire. Their black fur caught like dry leaves, and the air filled with their guttural screams, their packmates scurrying to get out of their way lest they also were turned ablaze. They frenzied about for a few frantic instants, then collapsed on the ground burned to crisps.

The Hunter and the monsters glared at each other, some scarce fifteen paces between them, each side waiting for the other to make a move. The brief respite gave her a chance to reflect on the fight so far, and so far things were disappointingly easy. Always so mindless and predictable, always attacking without thinking things through, without covering their flanks. Dumb as scourge beasts, but there was one difference between the two, it was their intent. Scourge beasts kill for blood and flesh while these creatures seemed to kill out of hatred.

Good thing the long arduous night in Yharnam had trained her to be a proficient killer, but the fruits of her labor were the sight of easy prey. She was going to end this... very quickly, and the anticipation of it brought a smile to her face knowing what she was going to do.

Predictably, the beowolves charged at her without a thought of using tactics. She pulled out the Blade of Mercy, pulled it apart into two separate blades, activated her Old Hunter's Bone...

And she used the power of her blood magic to enhance the tool's duration. The aura surrounding her glowing blood red.

She closed the distance with her magically enhanced quickening ability, and as soon as she cut down the closest beowolf she came by, she teleported again into the middle of the pack. From there, all hell broke loose. She was swift, fast, graceful, and deadly as she sliced, diced, and dismembered every beast that she teleported around, making her a literal whirlwind of death. She was too fast and unpredictable for the beowolves to keep up as they tried to catch, claw and bite at her, but none could lay a single blow to her. As soon the last beowolf died by first being cut deep in the belly, bringing it down to its knees, and then had its head decapitated by the two blades crisscrossing, the carnage was over.

In the end she killed the remaining forty of them in under three minutes without breaking a sweat, all thanks to her unique ability. Normally she would resort to using what she calls her inner power to make quick work of the whole pack in the first place, but she feared that by doing so she would potentially lose the support of the villagers. So using the Old Hunter's Bone was hopefully the safest bet she could go with to ensure their trust.

As she looked at the sight of all the smoking, dismembered bodies of the soulless beasts, she sensed something from within the woods, watching her this whole time. She smiled behind her mask but, from out of nowhere, she began to chuckle when she heard growling, letting her realize the fun wasn't over yet.

Meanwhile the village defenders, including Quinn, Ginger, and their son, were watching the whole spectacle from atop their wall. It was amazing to watch a huntress in action, although her methods were somewhat unorthodox, and the way she dispatched the Grimm was quick and brutal but efficient. The way she teleported around almost made Quinn believe that that was her semblance, but in the back of his mind he believes there may be more to it than that. But then they all heard a growl coming from the woods, and it soon revealed itself to be the alpha. A very old looking alpha if the spikes on its back and limbs had anything to show.

To Ella's point of view it looked almost as big as the Cleric Beast. It had more bone plates on its body, and the spikes protruding from its arms, back, and legs were longer and more numerous than what all the other beowolves had. Even its claws were sharper, its ears more prominent. Other than the black shaggy hair that had grown in some places, it would be terrifying to many who would be unfortunate enough to encounter it, but not to Ella. She had already seen monsters more terrifying that would make this thing standing in front of her look cute.

Like the Bloodletting Beast, or even Ludwig for example.

She didn't have to wait for long when the alpha charged at her on all fours. She went in to cut the beast down while re-activating the Old Hunter's Bone. The alpha then took a leap to pounce on her but, before it could even land on her, she teleported under and away from the attack. Then she jumped and stabbed onto its back but the blades didn't go all the way through. The Alpha Beowolf growled in irritation as she tried cutting deeper into its flesh, but she had to jump off of it when it thrashed wildly to throw her off.

The alpha turned to attack her, its anger clearly more evident in its growls and attacks while Ella kept teleporting left and right, exploiting every opening it made. This went on for half a minute when the alpha decided it had enough and jumped straight into the air. She looked up, confused for a moment until she realized with widened eyes what it was going to do.

It came down fast and strong, slamming both of its claws into the earth causing a crater to form underneath it and sending a shockwave that would have sent the hunter flying if she didn't teleport away from its destructive radius. Only she teleported away at the last second, making her stagger a bit from the destructive force.

She tried to take a moment to get her bearings together, but the alpha lunged at the opportunity with its one arm pulled back and ready to strike her down. She saw this and barely dodged out of the way in time, but not before it knocked the hood off of her, revealing her shoulder length, ashen black hair. Her hair looked maintained by her own hand though rather done haphazardly.

Unusual hairstyle aside, the battle continued on except that Ella was now going more on the defensive. The alpha's reactions and attacks were now faster and fiercer with each swing, and the Hunter could only land a cut whenever she found a small but dangerous opening. She had gotten a few hits from the soulless monster but her powers also acted as her shield, absorbing the damage just so she could keep on fighting. Amazingly, even though the attacks from the beast should have been lethal to any hunter in Remnant, this thing never knew who the hell it was really dealing with.

The Hunter had to figure out a way to end this quickly, otherwise this fight might go on for too long. Quickly forming an idea inside her head she folded her blades of mercy back together before rolling under a swipe, only to pull out her throwing knife and jam it into the side of its right knee. The alpha growled in pain and retaliated by bringing its clawed hand down on the offender, but the claws only raked up dirt where she once crouched. She did the same trick again to the other leg, only it was a little easier this time since the beast was limping on one leg. The alpha collapsed from having both its knees internally disabled, so it tried to turn its body with its hands to face her. Since she was behind it she took the opportunity to hopefully finish it off as she took out her last Molotov, lit the cloth with her flint lighter, and threw it at the downed alpha Beowolf at the right of its side.

When the lit bottle shatters upon impact the burning liquid spreads across it body, covering the back and half of its torso and arm. The alpha screamed in agonizing pain as the flames slowly begin to spread throughout its body. She smirked in satisfaction at the sight of her work, but that moment of satisfaction completely faded off of her face, and her eyes widened when the beast stopped screaming... and stared back at her, snarling in both rage and pain.

The alpha was going to die, that much it knew once the flames had fully consumed it, but in its mind it promised itself only one thing. If it was to die in fire, it will not die alone. The alpha pulled out the knives with the strength it still had in it, and shakily stood up halfway, and with all the strength he still had left he charged stumblingly with a mighty roar.

The Hunter charged up to the beast with Simons Bowblade already out and ready to finish this fight in one go. As the two came to make one final blow, time came to a halt. As the claw came crashing down on the Hunter the alpha believed it would fulfill its promise to take her corpse with it, but failed to realize... that the Hunter was faster than it, and the Hunter wasn't aiming for its dark heart.

With both hands holding onto the handle, and with all her might she thrusted the sword up through its lower jaw and went right through its skull, instantly killing the beast and stopped its charge, although the weight of it pushed her back a ways. With it now dead she went to work on getting the sword out of its skull by collapsing the burning corpse to the side, planting her boot on its lower jaw, and with both hands she yanked it out with with a little effort. She quickly backed away from it after that and then turned away to pick up her pistol with her hood back up.

She ought to hand it to the beast's tenacity to keep on fighting till the very end, she could only remember a few beasts that had such drive. She felt that the alpha's death in a way was like an act of mercy, but she mustn't dwell on that. After seeing the pistol was near her she picked it up, holstered it back into her left coat hip, and headed straight for the village.

She suddenly stopped when she heard cheering from up ahead, and looked on and was surprised to see the villagers on the wall applauding to her heroic feat. Seeing and hearing this made her feel odd, because where she came from, hunters were feared and hated, but then she reminds herself of what the little boy said; that they were heroes. She should have scoffed at it, but this positivity from the villagers, no matter how foreign it seemed, it felt... comforting to her. It even made her smile for this rare gratitude.

Guess it was that easy to gain their trust.

After that moment, she then continued on to the gate. She could hear one of the villagers yelling out at someone to open the gate, stating that it was all clear. As she came closer, she stopped when the gate slowly opened to reveal the people gathering to greet her. Merely a dozen of them were holding various weapons ranging from swords pitchforks to guns she had never seen before, and they all had their guard lowered showing that they trust her. Quinn, Ginger, and Lavi (who was more happy than the others seeing a huntress in action) were at the front of the crowd with smiles on their faces. But that's not what stopped her in her tracks when she looked at a few individuals which stood out from the crowd.

What she saw before her eyes were select people with different animal traits to them. There was one man with what looked like fox ears and a woman with a set of antlers. The third one had easily recognizable wolf ears, and was the one she was more wary of. Her Hunter instincts went into believing that they're infected, but her observant eyes and rational thought questioned their behavior. Why were they not being hostile to anyone around them? How come their eyes were completely normal, and not wild and bloodshot? Seeing the lack of any bestial behavior should have settled her nerves but instead her confusion and discomfort grew even more.

'Just what are they,' she asked herself.

Her further confusion was broken off however when Lavi, with impatience at the protest of his mother, decided to run up to her to give her his own compliments.

"That was so cool," said the boy energetically, "the way you took on those Grimm was awesome! And your fight with the alpha was scary, but I knew you would win!"

"Why thank you for the compliment," she chuckled as she knelt down to his level. It felt somewhat strange but she quickly grew to admire the boy's enthusiasm. Could hunters in this world really be seen as heroes, the honorable Spartans that even Ludwig could only dream of? If this is what this strange world has to offer, then she would be more than happy to stay here.

"You're the reason I want to be strong when I grow up, just so I can be a hero just like you."

"Well, I do respect your determination," she replied, giving a soft smile as she puts her right hand on his left shoulder, "but the first thing you need to learn is to be brave, and think on your feet. Perhaps your father will teach you that someday."

Meanwhile, as she was giving the boy advice, the villagers came walking up to the two of them to congratulate her on her victory. She heard their footsteps and stood up greet herself.

...But as they came closer, she started seeing flashbacks.

Through her eyes the villagers were replaced by the image of an angry mob of Yharnamites, with their swords, pitchforks, muskets and cleavers held at the ready to take her down. Their faces had the physical signs of soon becoming blood addled beasts or later on. The image was fleeting, however, as it all went back to normal, but not for long. When the villagers were giving thanks to the Hunter, her vision was once again replaced by the angry mob, cursing her, blaming her and calling for blood.

 _Cursed beast,_ she heard one say. She couldn't understand, what was going on? Why was this happening to her? She grew more confused and scared, her breathing became slowly more erratic as they grew closer, and their voices becoming louder and harsher.

 _You flea ridden rat!_

 _You foul beast!_

 _You are not wanted here!_

 _It's all your fault!_

Her eyes were closed shut, trying but couldn't stop it, she couldn't make them go away. Without even realizing her actions, she slowly and unconsciously, with a shaking hand, went for her Blade of Mercy.

Meanwhile, someone watched with a perceptive eye that something was wrong with her when the people were being close to her. He didn't understand why she was acting this way at first until his eyes caught sight her shaking hand, slowly going for her weapon. His eyes widened in realization: she was in shell shock, and it looked like one hell of a shell shock if he'd say so himself, and if he did not stop her now there would be a massacre. He knew what to do, it was kind of stupid, but there was no other way to it. If he succeeds in getting her out of that mental state then he had just saved the entire village, but if not...

Without hesitation, he reached out for her wrist.

"Ella…"

She heard her name but couldn't tell whose it was over the angry voices surrounding her. Then she heard her name again, and this time it sounded closer. It sounded like a man's, and it also sounded like he was concerned, but why was there concern when it was amongst the many that want her dead? Ella's hand unconsciously came halfway to her weapon when suddenly, she felt a hand grabbing her wrist.

"Ella!"

Her eyes went wide open, and she saw that it was Quinn standing merely nine inches from her face holding her wrist. He had a stern yet concerned look on his face, and when he spoke it sounded calm yet serious.

"Just look at me, okay? You're not in danger anymore, you're in a safe place. So just take deep breaths, just breathe." She reluctantly did as he told her to do and breathed deeply. She did this for a short while until eventually she could no longer hear the angry voices of her past. Even the illusion of the surrounding Yharnamites disappeared. What she saw all around her now were people giving them confused and concerned looks.

"Dad, what's going on," Lavi asked a little worriedly.

"There's no need to worry son, she just needs some breathing room," he replied, then he turns to the crowd, "okay, people, give her some breathing room, and clear a path for us!"

They were confused by the order at first, but soon they did as he told them and backed away, making plenty of room for them to get through the gate and into the village without further incident. The three (plus the rabbit) were soon joined by Quinn's wife as they made their way through the open path. Eventually everyone dispersed and went back to their separate homes, others to the local inn, but as for the four, they walked on in the direction to their home.

The way to their house went on in silence. Not a single one of them wanted to voice what happened back there. Eventually they made it to the Clansy home. It was one story high, and the base of the building was made entirely out of wood. The roof of course was made with dark colored shingles. There were windows on both sides of the door, but one would probably know there would be more.

"Honey," said Quinn, "would you please take Lavi to the inn after he puts Jasper back in his cage? I need to have a talk with Ella."

"Sure thing sweetie," answered Ginger. It was probably best if their son didn't hear whatever she had to say knowing his age.

Lavi looks up to his mother in confusion and worry, "mom, is the Lady Huntress in trouble?"

"No, sweetie, she's not in trouble," she reassured him, "they're just gonna have a talk and then they'll join us, okay?"

"Okay."

And so they went their separate ways. Ginger and Lavi went around the back, took Jasper to his cage and went to the inn while Ella and Quinn went inside the house. Once inside she was greeted to the sight of a spacious hallway, its walls having a couple pictures and a collection of family pictures. Soon after, Quinn led her to the dining area, although dining area wasn't exactly the correct word to say. It was both a dining area and a kitchen all in one room.

"Have a seat, please," Quinn offered as he gestures to the table. She went and took a seat on a wooden chair at one end of the square table. Quinn went and took a seat across from her.

The two of them stayed silent, only broken by the ticking of a clock for only a minute until she finally asked. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Quinn leaned in on the table, his hands clasped together, and gave her a serious expression. By the look he was giving her, she had a feeling she knew what he wanted, and that it was going to come up sooner or later.

"I want to know the truth," he answered, "and nothing but the truth. Do you understand?"

 **All right, so here's chapter 3. This was a doozy trying to make the combat scenes look good and readable, but the hard part for me was the introduction of her PTSD. At first I really wanted to make it as minor as possible, but when I kept looking back at all the horrors Yharnam threw at her I knew it would never be possible, because going through all that doesn't leave anyone completely sane, and remembering the hunt works as a double edged sword.**

 **Next chapter will be Ella telling the truth, even though she can remember next to nothing about her past.**

 **About the pistol not firing another round, let me explain. In the Bloodborne game you never see the pistol go into a reloading animation. I thought it was either because the blood the Hunter has will magically replace a bullet for you, or FromSoftware was just too lazy to put in a reload animation. I can understand why they did that, because reloading a gun takes time, and it's enough for the enemies to attack you. So I'm going with the former just for this fic.**

 **I want to give many thanks to CruxMDQ for helping me out with this chapter. If you like where this story is going please leave a review, and if you want to know something please don't hesitate to PM me a question.**

 **anyways, this is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4

Bloodborne Twin Ch. 4

 **Disclaimer: Bloodborne belongs to FromSoftware, and RWBY belongs to the late Monty Oum (someone I should have written on here to give my respect to) and Roosterteeth.**

"I want to know the truth, and nothing but the truth, do you understand?"

She sighed. She knew this was coming sooner or later, but she couldn't lie to him now, not after what she had almost done. But there was only one problem. Had they heard of a city called Yharnam, or does it really not exist here? If it didn't exist here, then she'd be in a very tough predicament. There was only one way to find out. "... yes."

"Alright, so mind if you tell me who you really are?"

And there was another problem. She really couldn't remember who she was at the moment, and telling him that she only knew her first name and profession would get her nowhere with him, and lying to him again would only make things worse. She really didn't know where to start, but after a short moment of consideration she went with the former.

'Well, here goes nothing,' she thought, "I did tell you truthfully that I am a hunter, but as for who I am... I don't remember."

"You don't remember who you are," he asked incredulously, "you told us your first name and that you are a hunter, and now you're telling me that you don't remember anything about yourself? So how are you going to tell me the truth?"

"You wanted the truth and I'm giving it to you," she countered. She did expect he would not believe her right off the bat, but she was upset at the fact that he did not let her explain herself. "All I know is my first name and my memories of the hunt. I can't remember my last name, or where I'm from. I can't even remember my birthday!"

Quinn was taken back a bit by her little outburst, "So you're telling me that you have amnesia?"

"For now, yes, and until my memories come back to me, all I can tell you is my memories of the hunt, and where I came from."

He sighed. This just had gotten more complicated than he had thought. Not only did she have no memory of her past, but she only had her experiences of being a 'hunter'. He would have continued to scoff at such a claim, but the tone in her voice showed she was being honestly serious. It was pretty difficult to know if she was telling the truth with her white mask still on. If he was going to get anywhere in helping her, perhaps he should just hear her out and then see where it would go.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Okay, I'll listen to your story, but first, the mask comes off."

She was hesitant about taking off her mask. She had worn it since the beginning of the hunt. She actually thought it was part of being a hunter until she was told otherwise, but even so, she kept it on regardless, because why would any predator care about what her face looked like when all they see is prey? There were only three hunters in Yharnam she had revealed her face to, but only because they earned each other's trust. This time though, she would have to reveal herself not because he earned it, but because she had to gain his trust.

After coming to a decision, she lifted her hands to her hood and brought it down to reveal her black hair. Then she got a firm grip on her white kabuki mask and slowly took it off...

To reveal a flawless, pale skinned face. Her features looked chiseled, making her look very attractive. And the eyes were a very alluring sight if he was honest with himself, but he did not wish to voice it. All in all, she was a beautiful young woman, but this was not the reason he had told her to take her mask off.

"Alright, let's hear your story."

"I will, but first, a history lesson of where I came from, just so you'll understand." She had to be careful in handling her story. If she told him the whole story then it would take all night to finish, and the details of the story would have been too disturbing and strange for him to believe. So, she soon came up with how to tell him what he needed to know, but not the entire story. "I must warn you, though, the things you'll hear from me will be disturbing."

He silently nods, signaling for her to start.

"Do you know of a city called Yharnam?"

"No, I do not."

"Yharnam was the home of Blood Ministration, and was founded by the Healing Church. An organization dedicated to the practice of blood healing."

"Blood healing," he asked somewhat incredulously.

She nodded. "The Healing Church had control over the distribution of all kinds of blood, and I'll spare you the details on what they were used for. But the only blood that was sacred to the church was the once miraculous liquid known as Healing Blood, originally known as the Old Blood."

"Old Blood?"

"Yes, it was discovered long ago by a small group of scholars who stumbled upon an ancient tomb, built by a long lost civilization in memorial to their dead gods. This blood in particular did many miraculous things as far as I've read. It could cure practically any diseases, patch up any serious injuries, and even help reattach severed limbs."

"This... 'Healing Blood' you describe sounds too good to be true." Of course he felt a little disgusted by how these people used blood, but the way she described its miraculous properties would have sounded incredibly far fetched. "But I have a feeling that there's more to this miracle cure than what was let on," he added inquisitively, having a feeling that he was not going to like what he'll hear next.

"You are correct. By extensively abusing the Healing Blood, a trigger was activated within the blood itself. Slowly, this mutation started to physically and mentally change them into beasts, and eventually this plague was given a name, the Beast Plague."

"So these beasts these people turn into, are they like the Grimm?"

"No, but to what I've seen of these Beowolves I'd say it's much worse."

He widened his eyes a bit, and the colors on his face grew pale. How could there be creatures more savage than the Grimm? "How so," he asked.

"The beasts I've encountered are more viscous and wild but not mindless. They're werewolf like in a way almost akin to these beowolves but lack the bone spikes, and they have a craving for flesh and blood. These... Grimm you say only attack out of hatred."

"I see," this information was disturbing him the more he learned of this Yharnam and its use of blood. "So what happened to Yharnam when they discovered this new mutation?"

"The plague came from outside Yharnam, and it was happening in the older part of the city. So when the church did all they could but failed to stem the tide, they decided to quarantine it and burn it to the ground, hoping to permanently stop it in its tracks, even if the method was costly. But it failed, and this plague continued to spread through other parts of the city, though not the entire city mind you. Not even the Cathedral Ward, the highest level in Yharnam, was safe from the plague."

"So where did you come in?" He was now more curious, how was it that she got into the city without getting caught by these plague bearing monsters?

"I... don't remember how I got in, but I do remember waking up in the medical wing. Which I found out was where I lost my memories."

He raised an eyebrow to this confusing discovery of her memory loss, but before he could ask he watched her bring up her mask to show him.

"It's where I found this mask, and the note that came with it showing my first name and saying to 'seek Paleblood and transcend the hunt.'" Now this added information made him even more confused.

"I don't understand, how did a hospital make you forget everything about yourself? And what is this paleblood?"

"Well, to what I found out from my old mentor, and from the medical logs I found back in the hospital, I was given a blood transfusion under a contract known as the 'Paleblood Contract.' Once the transfusion is complete, the blood will then block all of your memories of who you are except what you've learned. As to what Paleblood is, well... to be honest, you don't want to know, but what I can tell you is that I no longer sought it out."

"What made you stop searching for it?"

"It's because of this," she reaches behind her neck and undid the lock connecting the chain together. Then she held the two ends of the chain together in one hand while having the locket opened and laid on the palm of her other hand, and setting the chain down on that hand. She handed the locket to Quinn by leaning over the table for him to take it. He took the offered locket with both hands and inspected it. The locket itself looked to be completely made of silver, and well maintained if he would say so himself. It had what looked to be a rather old picture, but it was still clear enough to show two little girls who looked exactly the same. That's when it dawned on him...

"You have a sister," he said as a matter of fact.

She nods and gives a soft smile, "I learned I had a family when the chain got cut off during a fight with a beast. I first thought it was just an accessory until it came open on the ground. Seeing that gave me a new purpose during that long, terrible night, and if I didn't see the picture of my sister... I just don't want to think of what I would become if I went all the way through with my contract."

He could sympathize with that, he did have a wife a son to protect, and in the end family meant more to him than just his job as a guard. "So you tried to end the contract early?"

"No, I had a job to find the source of the beastly scourge first, which I eventually completed. After that, my mentor severed me from my contract, and in doing so knocked me out. I woke up in the middle of the woods, and the rest you already know."

'Severed from the contract,' he asked himself. There were many questions he wanted to ask, but when he looked down at his watch he realized they had spoken for too long. Before he called it a day, however, there was one little thing he needed to know, a missing piece to the puzzle that could help him help her. "I just got one more question before we call it a night, what did you do after you woke up in the hospital?"

She didn't want to recall that memory, but if he insisted, then she had no other choice but to oblige. "... I went searching for answers to what Paleblood was. I was unarmed and unprepared, and the first people I'd met were an angry mob of blood addled Yharnamites. They came at me with pitchforks, muskets, and cleavers. They shouted curses at me for being an outsider, and they even believed I was a beast. I ran for my life, and I nearly died that time."

She didn't mention to him about the Scourge Beast that had almost killed her in the lower level of the hospital, or the time she started killing these crazy people for the first time in self defense, or the first time she experienced death by a Cleric Beast. But it was enough for him to put two and two together to see how she had been so thoroughly shell shocked. It was simply one traumatizing thing after another. He still did not completely believe in her story, but he would be damned if he did not do something about her condition.

"No wonder you looked like you were ready to go nuts," Quinn commented half to himself.

She raised an eyebrow, slightly miffed by those words: "Did I look that off to you?"

He took a deep breath and straightened his back. "The lands of Remnant were never really tamed. Our village stands, but the Grimm ate others. Years ago, back when I served Atlas, we were called upon to aid a hamlet attacked by hordes of the monsters. Fending off assault after assault had turned a few of their townsfolk into grizzled, tough as nails fighters. They'd be almost right up your alley, really, 'cept that where you were graceful, they were downright brutal instead." Another deep breath. "They couldn't cope with a safer life. They had those fevered looks I saw in your face, and it would take some trivial thing —a gesture, a sound, a blazing fire— to make them snap.

"There was this one… Johann or whatever, he was a knife nut. His fellows saw him tear through four beowolves like those with a butcher's cleaver and a machete." He shook his head slowly. "A slamming door. That was all it took, a stupid idiot who slammed a door shut. He was in the main hall of the inn when he lost it. It took ten of us to put him down after he had stabbed a score of people." Again, a deep, slow breath. "None of them lived past that year. The last one actually charged the Grimm, slashing and stabbing anything that got close to her before she got herself killed."

He raised his eyes to meet hers. "And you would have trounced the lot of them, singly or all together. Just imagine what could have happened if you had lost it yourself."

Her eyes widened in shock. If he had not been there...

Well, she could not stomach the thought of losing her chances of finding her sister.

"Then I want to thank you for stopping me back there," she said sympathetically.

"You're welcome." He shook his head again. "Never believed that some good would ever come out of all that."

"So you're saying… my condition is that bad?" she asked a little worriedly.

"The way you were reaching for your weapon… yeah, I'd say it's that bad. You're gonna be looking for your sister, right?"

She silently nodded yes.

"Well, you can't get anywhere like that. You might end up stabbing the wrong people." He leaned in on the table with his hands clasped together. "Which is why I want to help you, starting tomorrow, just so you get acclimated in our village, and perhaps the people here will help you, too in a way. Mind you, people are going to be a little scared, and it's not as great or fancy here as the kingdom down south, but this'll be a start for now. What do you think?"

If anything could be said about Quinn was that he was honest and blunt in equal measure. It did not look like she would be getting anything better than that.

"I accept the offer," she answered with a sincere smile. "Thank you."

"Whelp," he gets up off the chair, "guess we should head to the inn and pick them up." She nodded in agreement, got up off the chair and grabbed the mask. He saw what she was going to do and asks. "Are you sure you want to put it back on?"

"... I'm more used to having it on than having it off."

"Well, you can't keep it on forever. Besides, this isn't like Yharnam so there's no need to worry. Plus it will help ease everyone's minds about you."

She thought about it for a minute, and after much consideration she decided that keeping the mask on would be preferable, if only for one night. She was just too used to having it on.

"I'll just keep it on, but just for tonight," she replied.

He sighed. This was going to be a little harder than he thought it would.

After getting the mask on and putting up her hood, they both went to the front door. Once outside they headed straight to the inn where Ginger and Lavi were currently waiting in. It had gotten dark since their talk, and the dirt paved street was lit with burning lampposts and the moonlight.

"Just so you know, you'll be sleeping at our house for the time being. Wouldn't want you to be staying at an inn now, should we," stated Quinn.

She recalled the story about the veteran going berserk — and only then she realized just how much the man was trusting her by making that offer. He was putting the life of his wife and child on the line.

Nonetheless, she still asked, turning her head towards him: "Why is that?"

"Because, do you know what lien is?"

She shook her head.

"Lien is our currency, and the inn requires lien for each night you stay. And since you don't know what lien is, I can guess you don't have any." Even if true, it rang as a convenient excuse, and they both knew it. "Staying at our place will be free of charge so long as you help around the house, and until your condition improves."

"I do have coins, would that help?"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't waste them on food and room rental. Use them only on supplies for the road. Before I forget, the conversation we had stays between us, understood?"

Ella nodded in agreement, ashamed of herself. Having saved the town from the Grimm did not make her any less dangerous to the people around her, but Quinn was willing to risk his life to help her heal those wounds. And that of his family.

She would have to learn how to sleep without a dagger under her pillow, she thought.

She turned her head back to the dirt road. They were halfway past the small clinic built between their home and the inn when she turned her head to look at the moon, but the state of what she saw made her stop in her tracks with widened eyes. The moon was not whole but shattered, and she wondered how that happened. Seeing it felt almost familiar to her, as if she had seen it before. She had gotten used to seeing the full moon back in Yharnam, so this breathtakingly looking broken moon was as clear-cut an indicator as she was going to find that she no longer was in the world she used to know.

Quinn stopped when he did not hear her walking with him and turned to see her staring up at the shattered moon. He would admit, she was a strange one, but she did have heart, and the skills to take on Grimm. All she needed to do in the future was to hopefully let her guard down. Which reminded him...

"Hey, I almost forgot," he called out.

Hearing him brought her back to the real world. She averted her eyes from the moon and and turned to look at him.

He gave her a smirk. "Welcome to Huckleberry."

-line-break-

 _Ella felt cramped and trapped, she couldn't even block out the moans and cries of the children cramped beneath her. She couldn't tell how long she had been trapped in this bag or know where she was headed. For all she knew, this monster of a man was taking them to his home to eat them, and that assumption scared her. She didn't want to die, but the only way of escape was through the top of the bag that was clamped shut by a massive bony hand._

 _Just when she started to lose all hope, she heard tearing from somewhere underneath the children, and before she knew it, she fell out of the bag amongst the pile of children. The monster noticed this but was too late to stop it as Ella and the kids squirmed out of the pile and scrambled in different directions._

 _She never looked back, ignoring the terrible, bloodcurdling cry from the monster. She didn't think about where the other kids went. She just ran, ran as fast as her legs could take her as if her very life depended on it. She kept running through the dark, sickly, twisted forest she had never seen before, but it all seemed scary which was all the more reason for her to keep going. She didn't know how long she'd been running, but eventually she saw a light at the end of the dark woods to which she gunned for it._

 _As soon as she went past the trees she became blinded by the bright light, only to clear up as soon it came. Her vision cleared revealing the view of a dry, grassy plain with what appeared to be a dirt road in the distance. She could see two individuals in strange, blue colored clothes walking down the road. Perhaps they're huntsmen on patrol she assumed. She tried calling out to them, but her voice became so dry and hoarse, and she suddenly became dizzy before losing consciousness and went crashing down onto the dirty ground._

-line-break-

She awoke with a short gasp. After a short while of regaining her vision, she slowly sat up from her bed with her right knee lifted near to her chest. She then slowly massaged her temple with her fingers. She was currently sleeping in a guest room. It contained the usual furniture, such as a small bookshelf, and dresser drawer, a desk, and few decorations. Her sleeping attire consisted of a grey T-shirt and pajama pants that were given to her by Ginger.

'What was that,' she asked herself, she couldn't really tell if that was a memory or a bad dream. The dead forest seemed almost familiar to her, as if she were really there. So whatever that place was, or whoever those children were, none of it made any sense. she pondered about this for a moment longer until the sound of knocking broke her out of it.

"Lady Huntress, are you awake," asked the voice of Lavi. She looked through the window to her right and determined that it was morning.

"Yes, sweetie, what do you need," she asked kindly as she turned to look back at the door.

"Um, mom told me to check up on you, she's also making breakfast."

"Thank you, Tell her I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay," he said happily. She heard footsteps fading away quickly through the hall. Putting the thought of that dream away for later, she got out of bed and took a stretch. It would have amazed her that she could simply dream without having to go to the Hunter's Dream again, if only it didn't have to end up as a bad one. She could only hope that she won't be getting more of those in the near future.

After being done with her morning stretches she switched her pajamas to her Hunter Trousers and her white buttoned up shirt, and left the rest of her attire to change back into later after breakfast. She looked to the mask which laid on the desk. Quinn had told her to simply leave it inside the guest room for the purpose of showing her face to the people. She understood the reason; to simply get acclimated to the new life of… Remnant he called it. Of course, wearing that throughout the long night in Yharnam had become apart of her attire, but she figured that some habits need to be put down in order to go with the changes.

Being all done reminiscing about it, she headed out of the guest room door to greet the dawn of a new day.

 **A/N: And finally the chapter you've been waiting for. I'll be honest, this chapter took a bit of work to go over, but thanks to the help of CruxMDQ we've been able to get the dialogue just right. But if the history I've written down is still inaccurate let me know.**

 **Now you guys are starting to see that Quinn is no ordinary man but something more, and you may be wondering why he didn't help her in the fight against the Beowolves. It's just that family came first to him, and since the Hunter was with them it made more sense to take his family to safety. Plus it didn't hurt to see what she was capable of. Also, Ella has a memory in the form of a dream, but it still doesn't reveal how she got there. Giving you a heads up, though, that she'll be getting random memories like pieces to a puzzle.**

 **next chapter will see some action when Ella and Quinn go hunting for Grimm.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	5. Chapter 5

Bloodborne Twin Ch. 5

 **Disclaimer: Bloodborne belongs to FromSoftware and RWBY belongs to the late Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.**

Beacon Academy: Two days later:

As the sun had set halfway below the sea, all the students and teachers have returned to their quarters for the night... but not for the middle aged Headmaster. The job required a lot of paperwork, from school reports to the enlistment of new first year students, and so on. Many believed that he never slept, if the coffee mug he carried around all the time were any indication, but caffeine-induced insomnia was not the cause for him to be awake at this hour up in his tower.

He and his female assistant were currently in his office, him sitting behind a clockwork looking glass desk with his hands clasped together. His formal attire consisted of an unzipped black coat over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore trouser shoes and dark, long green pants. A cross was pinned on the cowl around his neck. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features, tousled silver hair, black thin eyebrows and thin brown eyes half covered by a pair of spectacles.

The woman standing next to him was also middle aged. She wore a white long sleeved, pleated top that had a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flared in pleats at the wrists. Her lower body was covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze and black-brown stockings. She wore black boots with bronze heels, and a cape that was purple on the inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape was stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. She had very light-blonde hair tied in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her complexion was pale white, and she wore oval-shaped glasses over her bright green eyes.

The room was very spacious with a giant clock built above a cyan colored glass ceiling, audibly ticking away. Above the giant clock was a beacon that continued to shine even during the day, and it could be seen all throughout the city of Vale.

The sound of a ding could be heard as the elevator at the end of the room opened to reveal a middle aged Huntress in a strange and ominous attire. She didn't have her mask and hat this time, revealing her dark skinned face and black hair tied in a bun. The reason she was summoned up to the Headmaster's office was only for her to know for certain. And to be brought up here this late in the evening must have been very important.

"Good evening, I apologize for dragging you away from your nightly duties," the Headmaster greeted calmly.

"I'm sure you have your reasons, Ozpin," said the night Huntress after getting to within four feet of the office desk. Her accent was somewhat thick and her tone was calm with a hint of amusement. "So what seems to be the occasion?"

"Do you remember our talk about this Good Hunter you once spoke so highly of?"

She took a moment to think back to their conversation many years ago before crossing her arms. "... I do." She was somewhat unsure of where this was going.

"What if I were to tell you that she is here in Vale?" This caught her somewhat by surprise.

"Really, how so," the Hunter asked, curious to know if he had the evidence to back it up.

"Yesterday, a video of what the uploader called "an old fashioned huntress" began circulating around MetaVid, eventually becoming a fan favorite. I was ignorant of the phenomenon going on until professor Port sent it my way." He brought up his scroll, tapped the link to the video, and then settled it on the desk as it brought up a holographic display of the video. "This is what it shows."

The video played out with the masked huntress battling the large beowolf pack and eventually her climactic fight with the alpha, but what the nightly professor was looking at was the huntress herself. She recognized her height and gear; the hunter's outfit, the hood, the white mask, her weapons and tools, all of it. This was definitely her alright, and seeing her had brought back memories of a time when she was no longer at her prime but still continued her duty as a hunter until her final encounter. Remembering a time when she first met her, and witnessed her abilities first hand. It was only by gaining insight from this academy that the Night Hunter realized this Hunter she met long ago was a lost native.

"This is definitely her," she finally answered, "I would recognize that mask and outfit anywhere."

"My thoughts exactly," said Ozpin, "which leads me to my next request: I would like for you to retrieve her for me."

"Alone or with a team of first years?"

"I'd prefer you went alone. I'm sure it shouldn't be difficult considering the location, and I do believe she's under the protection of a decorated hero and a local militia."

"What's this village called if I may ask?"

"The village is called Huckleberry," he answered.

Ah, Huckleberry, she remembered being there once or twice. It was where a villager, a non huntsman, had held off a horde of Grimm long enough for a team of hunters to wipe them out and save the village. They may have gotten the job done, but it was that one lone villager who became the real hero; a title worth looking up to. That all had happened eight years ago, and he was still alive to this day and had trained a militia to keep the village safe.

"I suppose I won't mind going there for a visit," said the huntress with calm positivity.

"Will you be taking a Bullhead to get there?"

"No, I'll reach Huckleberry my own way. After that, she and I will head to beacon on foot."

"On foot?" The assistant asked incredulously.

"Yes, Glynda, on foot." The huntress smirked as she then turned and walked to the elevator, "it won't take too long."

She opened the elevator doors and stepped in. "And don't worry," she then turned with her arms still crossed as the doors began to close, "I'll keep her safe."

When the doors closed and the elevator lights ticked down, everything went silent for a moment until Glynda voiced her concern. "Are you sure it's wise to send her out alone?"

"I believe we know her well enough by now, Glynda," replied Ozpin with a soft smile, still in his usual state of calm. "And she knows her better than any of us, even our good doctor."

Meanwhile...

After reaching the base floor the nightly professor strode out of the elevator, went through the courtyard and eventually towards the cliff, facing north towards the direction of the village. From there she stood, watching over the expanse of the Emerald forest. Her capes, looking torn into many pieces to look like feathers, swayed with the wind. She softly smiled, glad to know she had finally come home while a thought ran through her mind.

"Welcome home, Ella."

She activated her Semblance, and her entire form became as black as shadow. Suddenly, the black form began to convulse, and then it dispersed into a flock of crows flying around the spot where the black form of the huntress once stood. The shadow crows then flew towards Huckleberry under the moonlit night.

-The next day: early afternoon-

"So what's your advice on handling these so called Ursa," asked a mask-less Ella.

Quinn and the Good Hunter have been following the tracks and minor destruction of two Ursa pairs through the woods for almost half an hour. The village farmer reported (to Ella of course) hearing sounds of a demonic bear prowling deep within the woods. Luckily the farmer didn't give off much fear, otherwise those Grimm would have been preying upon his farm by then. This ability to sense negativity is what made her curious about the Grimm in the first place. She was eager to help, more so to test her mettle against these black beasts again, but she did not know the lay of the land. Thankfully, Quinn could help in that department, and he was with her at the time of the report. So he volunteered to be her guide and partner during the hunt.

It took them a bit to find the tracks, but once they did find those fresh Ursa tracks they followed them until hopefully those creatures stopped.

"That all depends." The M1 Atlas Tactical Rifle was loose in his hands. He also had a shotgun strapped his back, an automatic pistol, two clips for his rifle, six shells, three pistol clips, and two explosive dust grenades. All in all, he had come prepared.

"There are two kinds: an Ursa Minor, and an Ursa Major. Minors are tougher and stronger than beowolves, but even though they can pack a punch they're just cumbersome, slow and predictable enough to be taken care of. Majors on the other hand are bigger, tougher, stronger, and somewhat smarter than the minors. They look more menacing alright, but I've never met anything that did not go down with enough firepower. A well placed headshot and they're done for."

She raised an eyebrow to that last suggestion and turned to look at him as they walked. "Wouldn't that work for every other Grimm?"

She had learned much about the creatures of Grimm from Quinn while she was in the village. He had explained to her that Grimm were evil creatures made purely of darkness and born without a soul, whereas humans and Faunus have a soul. What was strange was that they only targeted sentient beings and not the wildlife as well, which was odd considering they were called creatures of destruction after all. She had concluded by herself that they were made only for a singular purpose, which was to simply destroy all sentient beings.

Singular purposes aside, she had learned that there was more than one species of Grimm, and they all had the ability to sense negative emotions radiating off people such as sadness, envy, anger, hatred, and so forth. That was something that intrigued her in the first place, and she connected the dots on what the beowolf was actually doing when she first saw the creature prowling in the woods three nights ago. If she and Lavi stayed at that spot any longer...

Well, she didn't want to see another dead child on her conscience, thank you very much.

Now the last interesting thing about the Grimm was their death. Their bodies disintegrated when they died, leaving nothing behind, not even their bones. Scientists have tried to take samples off of their disintegrating corpses, but the samples themselves disappeared no matter what they tried to do. They tried capturing them into captivity, but then they simply died and left nothing behind. Eventually they gave up trying to discover their secrets. To the Hunter, when she first saw their corpses slowly disappearing she thought of them as some sort of living automaton.

"Well, except for the Deathstalkers," he corrected, "their bone armor is seriously tough that a .50 caliber bullet from a sniper rifle can't penetrate it."

"They're the giant scorpion like creatures, right?"

Before he could say she was correct he heard the distinct groan of an Ursa echoing throughout the woods. Apparently it was coming from over the small hill ahead of them. It would seem they were getting close to the end of their trail.

"We'll talk more about them later," he replied while lowering his rifle but kept his finger on the trigger. "We're getting close."

She nodded, and so they once again walked in silence towards the small hill. Once they made it to the top they realized it went down at a shallow slope, and it was at the bottom of the shallow hill that they spotted the two Ursa Minors in the clearing. They really were larger than the beowolves like Quinn said they would be, and they had bony spines on their backs and shoulders. Their limbs were muscular, truly showing that they were built for heavy combat. Like the Beowolves they wore bone masks with red designs on them. For some odd reason they were fighting each other.

"Why are they fighting?" she asked softly.

Quinn looked carefully — and eventually spotted a beehive hung up in a tree close to the Ursa pair's position. It made him smirk. "Did I forget to mention they like honey?"

She raised her eyebrow again in confusion and looked to him. "Wait, aren't they supposed to be creatures of destruction?"

"That's true, but they still act like animals, and it looks like they're fighting over who gets the honey."

"I see," she nodded, and from then on, Ella and Quinn went into a crouch down the hill until they stopped halfway. They both hid behind a bush large enough to hide the two of them in case one of those monsters decided to look in their direction.

"Alright, what's the plan?" she asked softly.

"I'll just sit back and watch, I wanna see how you can handle these Ursi, seeing that you handled a Beowolf pack and their alpha rather well. As for me, I'll act as your sniper just in case more Grimm decide to come and join the fun."

He knew for a fact that she did not have first hand experience with every Grimm, but the way she carried herself in battle proved that she could handle almost anything. But there were other Grimm that would prove to be more than a challenge to her, like the Deathstalker, King Taijitu, Nevermore, and much more.

"Alright, wish me luck." After saying those parting words Ella left the bush and walked all the way to the bottom of the hill, making sure to watch her footing. Even as she came to the edge of the woods the two Ursi were still focusing on each other now in a stand off. She took this moment of distraction by taking out her bowblade. In one swift motion she passed it to her left hand, and in a flick, transformed the sword into a bow.

The sound it made got the pair's attention to see who the new intruder was, only to see coming out of woods and preparing a quicksilver arrow, was a human. Setting aside their fight for later they both completely turned to face her, growling with hatred. As if issuing a challenge the first one stood up and roared, only to be silenced by an arrow that went through its mouth and severed its spinal cord cleanly. It died in mere seconds as it toppled backwards and slowly disintegrated.

The other Ursa was dumbfounded that its partner had died so quickly, but it shook out of its stupor and furiously lumbered to kill the human who murdered its comrade. Ella did not bother to prepare another arrow, instead transforming it back into a sword she wielded on her right hand, and pulled out her pistol, but it was not her Hunter Pistol. It was a .44 magnum semi-automatic Winter Hawk given to her by Quinn for the reason of efficiency. She aimed down the targeting reticle, and as the Ursa came close she fired. The fire dust filled bullet tore a hole right through the bone plate protecting its cranium, stopping it dead right in its tracks some three feet from where she stood.

She looked down at this new weapon of death she held in her left hand, and she had to admit, she was beginning to love this new gun.

Sure, her Hunter Pistol was just as powerful against these Grimm, and she should know because she had upgraded that pistol herself, yet for some reason it would not reload by itself even though she still had her powers. For that reason alone she was given this new gun because it had more bullets in this so called "clip" so she didn't have to waste time reloading one bullet each time she fired. Speaking of reloading, she learned from using it at the firing range that without that special ability her Hunter Pistol was next to useless against a horde of Grimm, only to be useful in a duel against another Hunter if and when it came down to it. The magnum pistol she had in her hand however had a reloading procedure for the gun that was more convenient than the Hunter Pistol, and she only had to reload after the clip became empty. There was only one word to describe this new marvel of ingenuity.

Genius.

Unfortunately, there was still that one drawback. "I know you wanted to eagerly try out that pistol, but now they know where you are," Quinn lectured through an earpiece given to her.

Guns were loud no matter what age you are in, and to be perfectly honest, she was never truly a fan of using stealth. And as if on cue she heard the footfalls and growls of many Grimm coming to the clearing, and looking carefully she saw that they were a pack of Beowolves led by an alpha that looked younger due to the shorter size of its bone spikes. They soon surrounded her halfway, and the count for their numbers were about thirty including the young alpha, but that did not deter her from enjoying her profession.

She went into her usual stance, with her sword version of the bowblade ready in her right hand and her magnum in the other. As the pack made ready to lunge at her, she did something to encourage them all. She giggled as she made a gesture with her pistol held hand which silently told them to… "come at her."

They did exactly that when the young alpha howled for them to attack her. She fired her pistol two times and killed two beowolves, each with a hole in their head, before having to activate her Old Hunter Bone tool when they came close. She teleported and dodged their attacks while cutting them down or shooting them in the heart or head. As she kept doing this she began to hear gunfire from the woods behind her. That had to be Quinn defending himself from another pack of Grimm if the repeated firing was any indication. Realizing her friend was in danger she had to get this done quickly or else she feared he would be overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Quinn, with a level head and an iron will, was firing accurately left and right at his own pack of beowolves coming down from atop the hill. He was about to snipe at the current pack in the clearing when he heard rapid footfalls coming from the hill behind him, and now he, too, had to join the fight. He had just taken down six of the soulless wolves but it looked like more are just coming over that hill. He had to improvise, otherwise his position would soon be overwhelmed. So he slung his rifle over his shoulder and climbed up a tree behind him in hopes of keeping his enemies occupied on him until Ella came to relieve him.

He was halfway up the second branch when a beowolf made a leap for him, with its jaws open and claws outstretched, ready to drag him back down to earth. What it got for its effort was a shotgun blast to the face, the fire dusted pellets blowing its head off and the force pushing the rest of the disintegrating body back to the ground. He had that second weapon on him for close quarters in case a situation like this happened, and he was quietly thankful that he brought it with him on this trip. He put the shotgun back on his back before jumping up to the fourth branch, just dodging a clawed swipe. At the near top of the tree he got himself settled in and got his shotgun pumped and ready to keep the Grimm off of him.

The beowolves completely surrounded the tree, clawing the bark away and digging further in, jumping and snapping their jaws to try and reach him. Those that became a little smarter began to try and climb up to him, only to get their heads blown off by his shotgun, but that still didn't stop them from trying to reach him. It seemed ideal to him at the time since he had plenty of ammo to keep him safe until Ella came, but the Beowolves were just whittling away at the tree. whether they knew what they were doing or not, it was only a matter of time before the tree broke from its weakened integrity. So he devised something that was just crazy but if timed right it just might work.

Ella meanwhile took out all of the alpha's minions after decapitating one's head with the Blades of Mercy. All that stood between her and rescuing Quinn was the young alpha. She figured it would take longer to put this beast down, but she did not have the time to mess with it. So she used what she knew would kill it much quicker; her inner power. Through her hands she superheated the blades, making them that much deadlier. Magic warded her gloves and attire from the blazing touch of the white-hot metal, and the metal itself from being warped by the heat; however, this incantation ate away at her magical reserve, slowly but steadily so. The blades were made of tougher than steel alloys of meteoric ores that were very receptive to her magic, so she could sustain the charm for hours if need be, but not indefinitely.

She charged at the alpha with her blades in reverse grip, not bothering to reactivate her tool's quickening ability. The alpha made a lunge to grab her with both claws, and she dodged both of them by jumping forward at the last second, but she did not go to plunge her daggers into its heart. She dashed between its legs instead and chopped them both off at the knees like a literal hot knife through butter. The alpha fell forward on its clawed hands and snarled in anger through clenched teeth.

The Hunter did not stop there, however, as she skidded hard to a stop and turned to run up its spiked back. In surprise, the alpha turned his head around, giving her a perfect target of opportunity: the white-hot blades twirled in her hands, then dug through the monster's armored skull to reach the tender tissue beneath. The aberration screamed in pain, only to abruptly fall silent as the metal tore through its brain. Like a marionette whose strings had been cut, the beowolf slumped into the ground. A swift flick of her wrists, then the blades came free, and the Hunter somersaulted away in a barrel roll right before the monster started to disintegrate.

With the alpha taken care of she could go and assist Quinn, but before she could to that, two explosions sent birds screaming into the sky all over the forest around her. She whirled around, and her keen eye spotted the soldier running among the trees as he fired his pistol at the beowolves limping behind him. All the beasts she could see were injured in one way or another, some even missing limbs, yet they still kept coming on.

At this point Ella charged into the fray once again. She ran past Quinn, and his eye caught her slender figure for a brief instant before she vanished where she stood. There was finesse to her movements, but nothing to detract from how brutally practical they were: she was everywhere at once, covering impossible distances in the time it took for his eyes to blink, lopping off heads and slicing off limbs almost casually, but no less mercilessly for that.

He paused for a moment to reload his guns, and to behold the unfolding massacre. He had played it close himself, tossing grenades at the base of his own tree and at the Grimm surrounding it, hoping it would buy him enough time and space to make his escape, trusting at the same time Ella would have made short work of the monsters hounding her. A mixture of pleased relief and well guarded fear had possessed him when his prediction turned out to be true to the letter. Years of soldiering had allowed him to gauge her skill, with the resulting estimation being outrageous — but yes, she was that good.

What caught his eye, though, was her blades being heated up. Was that her Semblance? He had not seen her do that three nights ago. Of course, it could have been because of her assumption of being feared by the people, remembering the backstory she told him that night. Everything about her was a mystery to him, even if her backstory was so far fetched. Perhaps he should ask her about that Semblance of hers when they had the time.

When the remaining beowolves finally ceased to live, Ella folded her blades back into one form after absorbing the heat back into herself, pulled out the pistol she had borrowed from Quinn and a fresh clip to reload it, and then walked up to him as if it were just another day on the job. She noticed how he assessed his performance and partially spread out her arms with a bit of a smug smirk. "Sorry about the mess."

Remembering that it was her who had started this debacle in the first place his expression turned to that of a frown. "Yeah, next time try to be more subtle about it! I'm pretty sure you can take them on with just that sword of yours!"

She was about to retort when suddenly they heard a growing rumble coming from behind Quinn, but that was not the only thing they heard. Whatever it was, it was big as they heard trees being torn down as the thing grew closer. Soon it finally revealed itself as it crashed through the tree line to be an Ursa, but it's not really a minor; it was a Major. It really was bigger and tougher than the Minors, and the spikes were larger and many. It also had bone plates that almost covered half of its body including the arms. It really would kind of live up to the name "Demon Bear," but Ella did not care about titles. All she cared about right now was taking on this new prey.

Ella raised her borrowed pistol and cocked it. "Let's bring this beast down."

The Major stood up and roared at the two humans, but then it tried to cover both its face and chest from the bullet fire from both Ella and Quinn by using its left arm as a shield. What it did next baffled Ella; it half blindedly charged on two legs.

"Split!" Shouted Quinn before they both dodged in opposite directions from its one armed sweep attack. The Major made the decision to go after the Hunter, believing it was the bigger threat, and used his meat shield of a left arm to crush her but instead his clawed palm crushed the grassy ground, forming a small crater. It did not matter whichever human it chose as his back was then being shot by Quinn's rifle. All that did, however damaging a shot, was making the Major angrier. It spun about to face Quinn, and seeing that he was 2 yards away it did something that baffled Ella even more.

It leaped after him.

"It can jump. That bloody bear can jump!" Ella paled as she watched the large Grimm bear pounce upon Quinn, paws poised to slam him into the ground. The soldier waited until the last moment to try and find a moment to land a lethal shot, and that was a mistake. He jumped out of the way, but the shockwave from the missed slam threw him off balance. Ella of course was firing her pistol at the Grimm's back, hoping to gets its attention but it ignored her in favor of the other human, sensing it had weakened its target, and took another swipe at it. Quinn rolled away, and with quick motions he stood back on his feet, tossed his rifle aside, pulled out his shotgun and blasted pieces of bone off the Major's paw as it attempted another swipe. The beast recoiled, stunned; the soldier tried to exploit the opening but his next shot was blocked by another bony paw. An angry roar, and the monster tried to backhand him; Quinn ducked to avoid it, but the return swipe caught him in full. The impact blew him away. The shotgun came to rest uselessly against a tree.

Just after the Major did that it felt a stabbing pain from his back. It furiously turned to swipe at the offender but it missed, and the Hunter came right back up to it and made two hot crisscrossing slashes to the chest, causing it to recoil in pain again. She was duel wielding the super heated Blades of Mercy again as she went to work on cutting down this demonic bear. Each time she dodged and found an opening, she would dive in, make a few deep, burning cuts, pull back, and repeat the process again. This strategy against a bigger and stronger foe had saved her many times in her one night career, but that all changed when she met Maria and the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst.

The Ursa Major fought back viciously, but the wounds and the pain and the burns were piling up, and its swipes were getting predictable and sluggish. Ella sensed victory was at hand, and pressed on. A cruel stab on its flank had it at last cry out in agony, a cry the Hunter cut short with yet another two slashes and a brutal kick on its jaw. A point-blank shotgun blast on Quinn's part knocked it flat onto the ground. Anger still flickered on its eyes as it tried to get back on its feet, but the heel of a boot stomped down on its head. There was a sickening crunch, and then silence.

Ella folded the now cooled blades back together and pulled out the Winter Hawk, aimed point blank at its skull and pulled the trigger. The massive slug cracked through the skull and destroyed the brain, thus ending the beast's existence.

"Well, that was something," she exhaled.

As the body started to disintegrate the Hunter sheathed her weapons and looked to see Quinn coming around the body, but something was odd: he was not bleeding.

"Are you alright? You took quite a hit, yet there doesn't seem to be a scratch on you." She says this as she scrunched her eyes in both confusion and wonder.

"I'm good, thanks to my Aura," he answered. "Bastard took quite a large chunk of it off me, but I'll be fine."

That got her even more confused and raised an eyebrow to the name Aura. "What is Aura?"

"It's a manifestation of our soul, it strengthens us and keeps us safe from harm. You have the same thing, don't ya?"

"I... don't think so?" She answered this as she tilted her head with a hint of uncertainty.

That answer made him confused. If that was not aura, then what the heck was it? Then he remembered back to their conversation three nights ago.

 _'Oh, right. Amnesia, blood plagues, madmen, a supposed nightmare city. Yeah, this is going to be more complicated than I thought.'_ He sighed.

"Ya know what, how about we talk about it on the way back," he suggested.

"Sure, but let me go get my arrow first." She went to where she first fought the Ursas and eventually found her steel arrow. Surprisingly, it was still intact, not even slightly bent whatsoever and near-pristine in its sharpness. She silently thanked whatever gods were out there for this. She knew that quicksilver arrows were somewhat weak when it came to integrity, and was able to recover only three intact arrows from two days ago. What she did learn from the village blacksmith that quicksilver was a seriously rare resource, and the cost of making another quicksilver arrow was too high. So instead he made steel arrows to complement both integrity and sharpness. Like the quicksilver arrows in design (though lacking in artistic engravings) it could be deployed from its compact form to its fully stretched form when preparing to fire. Although it was a little heavier than quicksilver, it was still accurate enough no matter what.

With that accounted for, they started making their way back to Huckleberry. Ella noted distantly that there were still a lot of birds in the sky, no doubt scared because of all the shots and explosions, and that assumption caused her to miss how a flock of pitch black crows watched them go studiously.

 **A/N: And finally the 5th chapter is here, hope you guys liked it. Anyways, sorry it didn't come out last week Wednesday like you were expecting it to. I was planning on ending this chapter at a cliffhanger with the Ursa Major, but I know you guys just hate cliffhangers. So I decided to write further on this and ended up with a long chapter. Plus me and CruxMDQ were still in the editing phase of this chapter.**

 **As for the reveal of her Semblance, that was just a small taste of it. I'm not gonna reveal the name of it yet, but you will be seeing more of it in the future.**

 **Also, you all got to see a character who seems to know very well about Ella, but I think you all know who she is by the description. I mean it's hard to hide the identity of someone who is so iconically familiar to every Bloodborne player out there. I tried to get her character right as best I could, but I'm just not sure.**

 **Before I end this chapter, I want to ask you guys one thing. Would you all like for me to write longer chapters? If so/not, please let me know in the reviews. If you all do agree to have me write longer chapters, I should warn you that it will take me longer to get these done, and the schedule for posting will be more sporadic.**

 **Oh, I kinda forgot about the cover image, I got this with permission from SatsuiNoHado from . I'll be honest, this is the closest I could find to my protagonist. I'll explain it later on.**

 **I'm not giving up on this story, not by a long shot I can tell you that much.**

 **Anyways, this Kyro2009, signing off.**


	6. Chapter 6

Bloodborne Twin Chapter 6

 **Disclaimer: I think you guys already know that by now.**

They had spent around fifteen minutes walking through the forest in silence since their battle with the creatures of Grimm. Neither said a word, each always looking side to side their own way and listening to anything that was off as they came ever closer to Huckleberry. Quinn held his rifle loosely in his arms, locked and loaded to shoot down any Grimm that decided to ambush them. Ella did not have her pistol out, and was walking as if everything was normal, but her hand was always near her sidearm, ready to quickly draw it the moment she heard something was off.

Meanwhile her thoughts strayed back to their short conversation about Aura. He said it was a manifestation of their soul and that it strengthened them and protected them, like a forcefield? It kind of sounded similar to her magic, but she could not be certain. Then he said something about her heated blades being that of her Semblance. Did not semblance mean the outward appearance or apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different? How could heating her blades be part of the meaning of said word? That was just her inner power and nothing more.

Seriously, her magic being that of her aura and Semblance? _Yeah, right_. But the subject stubbornly tugged at her, her curiosity begging to know more, and a source of fresh information was walking right next to her. He had promised to tell her about it, and certainly there were not any Grimm nearby, so perhaps now would be the time to know more?

After a minute of walking she finally broke the silence.

"So, Quinn," Ella spoke up, slightly annoying him as he distracted it from his attentive scan of their surroundings, "you said that Aura gives people strength and protection, what else do you know about it?"

He hummed in thought for a bit. "To be honest with you, not a whole lot. I do remember a passing Huntsman telling me that Aura can be manipulated to help them in battle."

"How so?"

"It's kinda hard to explain. It's like moving water with your mind, you just gotta focus on certain parts of your body, like your legs to run faster or jump higher, or your arms to give yourself more strength or to give more power to your punches. It's like a new habit, it takes a while to master. But you never think too much about it, you just do it."

In all honesty, he had never been taught that much about Aura during his years of training in the Atlesian Army. All he had been told was that it acted as his shield and as an amplifier, and to only rely more on his training as a soldier, not act like a hero. Heroes died young and reckless, his drill instructor said, and soldiers lived smarter and tougher.

He silently cursed the instructor's memory. For the good that did for me and my fellow soldiers.

"So what about Semblances?" she asked.

He tilted his head up in thought. "Well, they're the manifestation of one's Innate and personal power, an ability unique to each person. The nature of it also represents the user's character, or so I was told."

"So how does it work?"

"It's more like a tangible projection of one's aura, and that Aura is needed in order for said Semblance to activate."

"So it's like magic?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not."

She looked away and pondered in thought for a moment. Everything she was hearing was becoming more peculiar the more she compared it to her magic. It felt weird learning that they sound like they're one in the same, but she still felt unconvinced. Maybe an example would help her understand better. "Know of anyone with a Semblance?"

He hummed in thought, remembering the times a Huntsman or Huntress would come through Huckleberry, either on assignment or just paying a visit. There were other times during his days in the military when he witnessed a Specialist doing incredible feats on the battlefield. "I do remember a certain Specialist in the Atlas military. Winter was it? Yeah, she had a cold and dignified personality even when off duty. She has this Semblance that could summon glyphs to aid her and hinder her opponents. I wish I could say more, but I'm not an expert.

"Let's see," he continued, "there's also this one Huntress who could turn into a flock of crows made out of shadow stuff, and a Huntsman who could change his skin to stone."

Those sounded like good examples of magic, but he had said they were not. Hearing those examples made her feel that maybe he was right; maybe her inner power was her Semblance, but there was only one thing which did not add up. It did not fit with her character whatsoever. She always believed that she had been empowered from the blood transfusion in Yharnam, a fact leading led her to think that it was, in her own words, 'blood magic' after all.

As she was pondering, suddenly a memory flashed before her mind.

 _She was a little girl again, and this time she was out on the city sidewalks with her twin sister and two adults she would assume were her parents. Her sister walked along with mother, holding her hand while Ella rode on her father's shoulders. She was having a fun time being on his shoulders, and she could see everything from up there. She saw a lot of people in one street, and saw many market stalls and games. She could only assume that the family was all there for some kind of festival._

 _As she looked on, admiring the many stalls these people had, something amazing caught her eye. People were gathering around a handsome looking man who had dark brown, slicked back hair, a handlebar mustache, natural eyebrows and a goatee. His attire and accent seemed strange, as if he came from a foreign land far away from here and he was gathering all to come and see, but that was not what she was looking at; she was looking at the floating swords which slowly danced around him._

 _"Mama! Papa!" She begged. "Can we watch the man who plays with swords? Please?"_

 _She heard the smile in her father's voice. "I guess we can spend a minute or two here. But only if you promise never to touch a knife at home."_

 _"I won't! I promise!" She nodded emphatically, her eyes glowing with fascination at the spectacle._

 _They all found a good spot in the crowd to see him, her sister lifted up to mother's shoulders to see what he would do. He ordered everyone to give him space, and a few minutes later, he suddenly summoned two rapier like swords out of thin air and held them in his hands... and out of nowhere the floating swords started attacking him. He parried, dodged, and moved like a great dancer, the likes of which no one had ever seen. Then he took to the air in mid fight, and stood on a single sword on one foot as he continued the fight with the flying swords while staying perfectly balanced. One by one the swords disappeared with each strike he made until there was only one sword left. He jumped off the sword, and as the final two swords went in to strike him down, he made them disappear with the crisscrossing swing of his dual swords, thus ending the staged fight._

 _He made his swords disappear and took a bow as the crowd applauded him for his spectacular performance. Ella and her sister were clapping and cheering as well as her parents. She was truly amazed by his display, and the way he summoned and controlled his swords seemed like magic to her. When the sword dancer finished his bow he looked in their direction, but he wasn't looking at just anybody. He looked directly at Ella and winked._

Her memory ended there, but for some reason she felt very uncomfortable. Just what was that, and who was that strange, sword summoning man with the closely familiar rapiers? Better yet, why was he looking at the Hunter herself of all people? There were many questions swirling around her mind, making her spaced out that she didn't realize Quinn was looking at her after being quiet for a few minutes.

"Hey, Ella?" Asked Quinn. Hearing her name broke her out of her troubled thoughts and looked to her partner, who was giving her a slightly raised eyebrow and a concerned look. "Something bothering you?"

"It was just a memory," she answered somewhat dismissively.

"What was it about?" He had not believed her initial claims of amnesia, but as she started seeing bits and pieces of things she could not explain it became increasingly evident that there was some substance to that claim, and he had taken it upon himself to assist her in making sense of such snippets. In this fashion, he had found explanations for most of them, and as that helped her get a clearer picture of the workings of this world, she started to believe that perhaps there was a place for her here after all. At the same time, Quinn was realising he had been wrong: having dismissed Ella's amnesia as convenient lies, he had believed she knew about Grimm, although in a different fashion, but as it turned out, she had had no idea whatsoever about them after all.

She sighed. "I… I was a little girl, walking with my… twin sister… and with my parents, or at least I guess they were my parents. We were in some kind of fair or festival… there was this foreigner there who had an act where he made swords dance and fight on their own, and he would fight them." Quinn squinted at the mention of flying swords; it seemed weird to him that there was someone with a Semblance to levitate swords, but he commented nothing. "He was incredibly skilled. At the end of his performance he dismissed his swords, and they vanished… but it was what he did in the end that really bothers me.

"After he bowed to the crowd he… looked up at me and… winked at me."

"He winked at you? Specifically?" The way she spoke of her discomfort on that last part bothered him, too, and for all he knew that strange man could have been a pedophile.

"Yes, and it made me feel… disgusted for some reason, but that was all I could remember." She looked to him, perhaps in hopes that he might know who this man was. "Do you know of anyone who can summon swords out of thin air?"

"Ella, I have seen Huntsmen and Huntresses come through Huckleberry from time to time, but they rarely show off their Semblance in public just to entertain the people. So no, I haven't seen anyone who can do something like that.

"By the way," he added, "can you describe this festival for me?"

She thought back on that for a bit. "Well, there were games and food stands everywhere, and there were a lot of signs, but they all seemed blurry to me," She answered while she looked over her new memory.

"Was there any sign that would stand out?" He persistently asked. He had an idea what it could be, but there were other festivals which also had games and food stalls as well.

Ella focused harder on the memory, trying to discern a single sign anywhere that could be clear enough. She did recall one large sign hanging above the crowds, the name sounding weird though. "I think there's a sign that said…. veetal? vittal? Vital?"

"Ah, you were at the Vytal festival," he corrected her pronunciation.

"What is that?"

"It's a festival dedicated to the cultures of the four kingdoms, and it's the most important festival of them all."

"Why is that?"

"You see, the Vytal festival represents unity and peace between the kingdoms, and it happens every two years. They celebrate with dances, parades, and open a combat tournament."

"Really? A combat tournament?"

"Yup, it's a tournament where hunters-in-training compete to represent their kingdom. That's what makes the festival very special. Also, the festival doesn't happen in all four kingdoms, it rotates to each kingdom every two years, in which said kingdom will open its borders to visitors worldwide."

She hummed to herself and stayed quiet for a while, but soon she decided to bring up the original subject, just to help keep her thoughts away from the memory. "Anyways, what about you? Do you have a Semblance?"

"Maybe, and even if I did, I wouldn't even bother."

That statement made her raise an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Why is that?"

He sighed. It was not because he was uncomfortable talking about his past, far from it in fact. It was merely because he was tired of being called a hero. "Well, a long time ago, Huckleberry was attacked by Grimm. While everyone hid in the bunker, waiting for the hunters to arrive to wipe them out, I stayed behind because a few didn't make it in time. So there I was, ready to hopelessly sacrifice myself to keep them safe from the horde when suddenly, I felt something strange happen to me. It was like all my senses and reflexes got a huge boost, and before I knew it I was dodging and killing Grimm left and right like I became some kind of super soldier.

"I lost count of how many I've put down, but I know I've killed a lot, and this strange feeling made me feel invincible. But then, I suddenly lost that feeling mid fight, and it soon became a fight for my life. I kept fighting on both adrenaline and instinct as best I could, but in the end I got battered and bloodied to the point where I was just standing on my last two legs. That's when the cavalry finally came in and mopped up the rest, saving my life. After I got patched up I was given the medals of Honor, Courage, Valor, and Sacrifice by the General of Atlas himself."

"That was very heroic on your part," she pondered.

He sighed again. "I wouldn't call myself that. I'm a soldier, not a Huntsman. Anyways, I did try to summon that feeling again, that maybe it was my Semblance, but after a few months of trying, I just gave up. So I settled down, got married, and formed a guard militia."

She could empathize with him in an odd fashion of sorts, but there was just one thing that did not feel right. He said he had tried to rediscover his Semblance but could not. Maybe he should have asked a Huntsman for help? She looked to him again. "Have you tried asking someone for help?"

"To find my Semblance? Yeah, I did for those few months, but they never stuck around long enough to guide me. They have a busy schedule of hunting Grimm everyday, so it's a never ending job for them and less time for me to learn."

"Oh, I see." His answer rang a bit hollow to her. Was he lying? Had he really sought help? She could not tell. They continued their journey in silence, but as they approached the village clearing the Hunter's mind kept coming back to the strange swordmaster that had winked at her.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a lone black crow took to the sky without a noise, circled once over the scores of slowly dissolving Grimm corpses, and then flew in the way of Huckleberry

-Fifteen minutes later-

The gates opened to reveal only the Good Hunter herself as she walked through the giant doors leading inside. Quinn took the direction of the farm to tell him the Ursa problem had been dealt with, and told her he will meet up with her back at the house. So, she walked through the dirt paved, busy streets of Huckleberry, casually looking around at the common folk usually lounging about conversing while the guards went by. They would usually greet her as she passed by and she would do the same.

She was an inquisitive Hunter, and had learned much from Quinn's family and the villagers which helped her to realize just how different it was between Remnant and the world she knew. She had learned that she was living in the village farther north from the forest of Forever fall and of the Kingdom of Vale, one of the four standing kingdoms in the world called Remnant. Her curiosity was insatiable, having gorged on their kingdom's culture, history, Dust, and pretty much everything she could get. Her mind had absorbed all of it like a sponge.

Relearning of the world was a necessary education and all, but her shell shock was a different story, all thanks to Yharnam. It had been rough the first day in Huckleberry, the first time she had went through the village with Quinn, and the horrible feeling of nakedness and vulnerability caused by walking around without her gear, especially when she had to endure being on a gathering of people in an inn. Plus there were times when certain sounds would take her mind right back to Yharnam, but she managed to come back to reality just as quickly thanks to her friend. The next two days had seen improvement, however, and although she now felt more comfortable talking to people, she still felt uneasy when being in a crowd.

The biggest challenge to her were the Faunus. The hunter's side of her conscience still told her they were changing into beasts and needed to be put down, but so far nothing ever happened to them, a fact that had a nasty consequence: she had to begin doubting her hunter side. The Faunus neither attacked her nor did they even attack anyone. Plus their animal appendages were not the same, save for the Wolf Faunus she had seen three nights ago, but that was not the point. The point was that they acted and looked like normal human beings, and it baffled her. Her confusion and fear of them came to an end, however, when she came face to face with her first Faunus at the Maple Ren inn. The owner of the establishment turned out to be the Deer Faunus she had seen three nights ago. It went a little rough at first because she did not know how to converse with someone who was not exactly human, and things would have ended badly if Quinn had not stepped in and helped. It was thanks to him that she started warming up to her and the other Faunus. Of course he had to tell her what she had gone through in order to go easy on her.

She would have laughed at the irony, not because of her conversation, but because talking to them reminded her of Djura back in Old Yharnam. She remembered his saying: "The things you hunt, they're not beasts. They're people." The concept was different between this world and Yharnam, but at least she could now follow that understanding to heart this time.

Her progress was small in just a few days, but she was getting better nonetheless. Her memories, on the other hand, were coming to her in pieces. She had already accepted the fact that she belonged in Remnant, but it still didn't help her in recovering her memories quickly. So all she had to do was wait.

She soon arrived at the house, and sitting on the front porch was Lavi petting his rabbit, Jasper. The boy looked up as she came close and gave a jubilant smile. "Ella! Welcome back," he said as he waved his hand to her, but was then confused when his father was not with her. He picked up Jasper and walked up to her. "Where's dad?"

She smiled warmly. It was impossible not to find the boy endearing. "He went to go see the farmer. He'll be back shortly. I promise."

"Okay," came the positive reply, and then he remembered what he wanted to tell her. "Oh, mom told me to wait for you when you came back. Another Huntress came here and wanted to see you."

This had her curious. "Really, what for?"

"Just to talk to you I guess. I'll bring you to her," he led the way into the house. Once they soon reached the dining room, the Hunter saw his mother, but stood frozen and wide eyed at the sight of someone very familiar sitting at the table drinking tea with her. This Huntress wore the Crow Hunter outfit, and was recognized very easily by the heavily torn strips of her capes to make them look like wings. Her face was also familiar, having dark skin, brown eyes and tied back…. black hair? On further inspection she looked younger than she remembered. There was barely a single wrinkle on her face.

"Ah, good afternoon, Ella," Eileen greeted calmly with a light smile.

"Eileen?" She asked while still being shocked. "Where did you…? How did-?"

"All will be explained in due time, dear," she halted her sputtering. "Just know that it has been a long time since we last spoke." That comment only puzzled her further.

"Please, have a seat," Eileen gestured to the chair next to her. She obliged and took the seat, but was still shocked in seeing one of the old hunters, although not old anymore by the look of her, sitting here drinking tea like her death had never happened. There were questions she wanted answered, but she did not know where to start.

"Ginger," asked the former Crow Hunter as she looked to the owner of the house, "will you please excuse us? I would like to talk to her in private."

"Sure thing," she nodded, and got up. "Lavi, come with me. Let's wait for your father outside."

"But, mama! I want to stay!" he pouted. "I want to know what she wants with Ella!"

"If you behave, she will tell you later if she can. If you are naughty now she won't." She sent a surreptitious wink at Ella, which had the added effect of dispelling some of her bewilderment. The Huntress played along, her voice deadpan:

"You don't want to embarrass your mother, don't you, Lavi?"

The boy stared stonily at the ground. "No."

Reluctantly he held her mother's hand. Eileen smiled approvingly. Soon mother and child were gone, the door closed behind them.

An uncomfortable silence followed, but it did not last long before Eileen started:

"I suppose you have questions concerning me."

"Maybe a few…. but just how the bloody hell did you get here!?"

Eileen was not the least bit surprised by her little outburst, she expected this would happen once they finally met. "The same way you got here, really, although I woke up under a much different situation than you did."

"What do you mean the same way?" Ella asked incredulously at the Crow Hunter, not understanding what she just meant. "I died with a bloody scythe severing my head off, and you were bleeding to death!"

"I know that, which is precisely what I mean, we both. Died."

"Okay. Fine." No, actually there was nothing fine about that. "But… why do you look younger than I remembered?"

"I was just about to get to that part, just be patient." She had accompanied these words with a single raised index finger. "Now, as for how I'm thirty six years old rather than being sixty…. Well, I woke up as a little orphan girl, lying right on the front steps of an orphanage. Strange that I could not remember who I was at first, but later on I regained who I am, but got better."

Ella dwelt on her words for a moment. "I… think… I understand?" she said haltingly. It was beyond strange to see her in this fashion, still the dusty old crow she had always been.

But then an idea flashed in her mind: what if she had not been the only one to come to Remnant? Could they be living a different life right now?

And most important of all: could there be an all powerful being capable of sending people into new lives?

"Do you think the Great Ones sent you here?"

She took a sip of tea, then cleared her throat. "Perhaps. I have thought about it for a while. To be honest, I wasn't even the first one here. I did see Gascoigne and Henryk still doing their job as Hunters, but of a safer sort without the plague, mind you." A strange smile crept slowly into her lips. "As for the others, you'll just have to see with your own eyes."

If Ella thought that today would not get any more shocking, Eileen had this to say. "And perhaps they sent you back here as well."

"Maybe…," she soon did a double take on the last part she said, "wait, what?"

"Hmm?"

"You said they sent me _back_ here, how did you know I was born in Remnant?"

"Well it took me a long while to realize what you used in the Hunt wasn't part of your blood. All it took was to be in a hunter academy for four years in order to understand who you really were."

"So what you're saying is…?"

"Yes, Ella, that that was your Aura and Semblance, not blood magic."

"Oh…. so Quinn was right after all," she muttered. "And this also means I don't have that blood anymore."

"That is correct, you now have a newly clean slate." A raised eyebrow. "I suggest you keep it that way." Her warning delivered, she took another sip of the brewed tea.

They went back into silence once again while she pondered on her new discovery. Quinn was right, and so was Eileen to know that she had an Aura and a Semblance, and that she now knew she no longer had the blood in her veins, but it would also mean she would no longer have to fear becoming blood drunk, or worse. There was one more question she needed answered, and that was how she knew where to find her. It was something she should have brought up earlier, but she was too shocked at the time to come up with the proper question.

"I do have a question I've been meaning to ask, how did you know where I was?" Asked Ella.

The former Crow Hunter smirked, "It was because of this." She reached into the folds of her coat, and pulled out a small, rectangular looking thing with a yellow diamond shape in the center.

"What is that?" she asked out of curiosity.

"This…," she pulled the two sides apart to reveal a glass panel which then lit up some kind of display, "is called a scroll." She tapped a few things and flipped it around for her to see something akin to moving pictures. She saw herself with the white mask still on, killing the beowolf pack with recognizable skill and sound strangely enough. She tried to understand how it all worked. She thought this could be someone else choreographing the entire thing, but it definitely was her, no doubt about it. Then Eileen turned the device away from her and paused it. "The video was uploaded from this village, which gave me the coordinates to find you here."

Her explanation, however, failed to help her understand the technology at all. "I still don't understand… what you just said."

She sighed. "You'll understand it all in due time, which brings me to my real reason for being here." She said this as she put the scroll back in her coat. "I was requested to bring you to Beacon Academy to speak with the Headmaster."

"What for?"

"That is for you and him to talk about. Now I won't force you to come with me. You can stay here or travel aimlessly to find your family. Or," she leans in a bit over the table, "you can come with me, and find your answers directly. It's your choice, Ella."

She would dwell on this at length, but both Huntresses knew already which way she would lean.

-Meanwhile-

Ginger and Lavi, along with his rabbit, were waiting on the front porch outside when Quinn finally returned. His wife explained to him then that the Huntress Eileen had shown up and was now having a conversation with Ella. He understood the reason and joined them while they wait. For a while they waited, Lavi was very happy and attentive while listening to his father's stories of their hunting of the Grimm. Eventually the door opened to reveal the familiar face of Eileen, and coming from behind her was the Good Hunter Ella, except she still seemed to be packed up with all her gear, including her Hunter Pistol.

"Everyone," announced Eileen, "there is something Ella would like to say."

They all looked to her, waiting for what she had to say. She breathed in as she finally worked up the courage to speak, knowing one of them might not like what she had to say.

"I'm leaving with Eileen to Beacon Academy." Quinn and Ginger were somewhat surprised that she was leaving so soon, but Lavi on the other hand….

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Asked a distressed Lavi.

She looked down at him with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but I have to." Then she looked up at the parents. "It's simply the easiest way for me to find answers."

"Well I know you and Eileen can handle yourselves well enough, so I got no problem about that," Quinn said as he crossed his arms. "But what about your condition? You haven't been able to get fully comfortable with people yet."

"You can leave that to me," said Eileen while she had her arms crossed. "I already understand fully what she is going through, so I and the rest of Beacon Academy will be taking the necessary steps to insure she recovers."

"Well it's good to know she's in capable hands, right honey?" Asked a relieved Ginger when she looked to her husband. She was told about her shell shockfrom Quinn the night he had his conversation with Ella. She remembered having to do the same thing for her husband, back when he had shell shock himself after he had almost died saving this village.

"Yeah, it does. Well, I do wish you luck, Ella." Quinn said as he put his hand on his wife's right shoulder.

"But I don't want you to go!" At this point Lavi put down Jasper, ran to her and hugged her legs tightly. That stroke a chord within her.

"I'm glad you want me to stay, but you know I can't stay here forever." She said to the the boy softly, but the boy became more down and saddened by her gentle rejection. Before Lavi would start crying, however, she came up with an idea that just might cheer him up.

"Tell you what," he looked up at the softly smiling Ella as she knelt down to his level, "I'll come back and visit whenever I get the chance, okay?"

"You promise?"

"I promise." Then, without any more words to be said, he hugged her. The embrace warmed her heart and she returned the gesture in kind. For one long night in Yharnam, she had witnessed so many horrors. She had seen the deaths of two girls, and two of her good friends dying right in front of her, and in those moments she thought she would lose herself to the madness of that world. In the end, however, she succeeded, and Yharnam failed to completely destroy the one thing she still had in her, all thanks to these people; her humanity.

For a moment they held in their embrace, just a moment, until they had to let go. She stood up while Lavi's parents came up to their son to comfort him. They knew Lavi would miss his favorite Huntress, but now knew she would keep a promise.

Ella was just about ready to leave when she remembered what she still had around her waist. "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached behind her waist and unclipped the gun belt, along with the holstered pistol and clips (including the empty ones in her coat pocket) of ammunition which belonged to Quinn, and extended them out to him. "I believe you would want these back."

What she did not expect him to do, however, was that he pushed them back to her. This surprised her somewhat. "Nah, you keep 'em."

"Are you sure?" She asked with uncertainty.

"Yeah, after everything you've done for us, I believe you've earned them, and besides, it's more useful than that flintlock pistol you have on you."

"Oh, thank you." She looked away with an embarrassed smile and pink cheeks. Quinn took the empty clips, and she slung the gun belt back around her waist and re-clipped it. Meanwhile Quinn went inside the house, and after a few minutes of waiting, he came back out offering her two fresh clips. She refused the offer at first, saying that she could be well conservative when it came down to surviving, but he then made a convincing enough argument that it made her rethink on her words.

She had accepted gifts from people during the Hunt, but they were given to her by those (excluding the two women in Oedon Chapel) who were dying or dead, and far more often than not, she had looted corpses for the sake of surviving the night. This however felt different to her, like she was being rewarded for her efforts, or perhaps for being a friend. This was rather new to her, and after thinking it over quickly, she took the offered clips.

"Thank you," she said sincerely as she slid the fresh clips along the gun belt. She turned to her old friend and ally who still had her arms crossed as she waited. "I'm ready."

She nodded, and after saying their farewells the two hunters went to the gate. Along the way, several people saw their passing and had expressed their farewells to the Good Hunter. This village had been kind to her for the past three days, and she would never forget that. The guards at the gate saw the hunters coming this way and thus opened as they passed.

With the walled village now behind them, it was just the two of them, walking along the dirt road which would lead to the capital. It would be a day's march before reaching the city, and the road was full of dangers, mostly from the vast number of Grimm roaming Remnant, but to these two, they would have no problem with whatever came their way.

 **Alright, here is Chapter 6 finally. I know there was only fluff and no violence, but this was simply for more character development. Anyways, I finally decided to reveal that there will be other characters from the Bloodborne universe living in Remnant. Just imagine what kind of life they'd be living in right now without fear of the plague taking over their lives. Now you already know that Gascoigne and Henryk will be in this story, but as for the others….**

 **Well, like Eileen said, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Speaking of waiting, chapter 7 may or may not reveal who Ella might really be, so fingers crossed. Also a shout out goes to CruxMDQ for his amazing editing skills. Without him, my story would have been so confusing to you all. So thanks a bunch, friend.**

 **This Kyro2009, signing off.**


	7. Chapter 7

Bloodborne Twin Chapter 7

-Dreamland-

 _Ella sat against the picket fence line with Ming and Marcus, two of her best friends. They were outside the orphanage with the other kids playing around or lounging about. The ones who ran the orphanage, they looked like nuns, and they say it would be a good place for them stay until picked for adoption, but these kids didn't want to be adopted, they wanted to go home._

 _Meanwhile the two sitting next to her were talking about the good times in their kingdoms, thinking of a way to get home even though it seemed fruitless. Ella quietly listened as she drew a picture in the dirt with her stick. She drew a two story oriental looking house, two adult stick figures who were her parents, and the two smaller stick figures who were the twins. It had been three years, and no matter how many times the nuns would tell them that it doesn't exist, she would never believe them. Between the drawings, her friends, her memories, and her necklace, she knew that world was real, and that someday, she and her friends might find a way to get back there, but they were lost, and they didn't know where to start. What they could do is try to keep their memories intact, to never forget where they came from._

 _She was just about to draw a circle around the picture when a dirty shoe stomped on the drawing, along with her stick, and smeared it into nothing._

 _"Oh look," she did not need to look up to know who_ that _voice belonged to. "It's the cat eyed witch and her rubbish friends." The other children behind him laughed playfully, either out of fear of being beaten by him or just tried to be someone that they weren't._

 _"What do you want this time, Rodric?" Asked Ming._

 _Since the older boy got here a couple months ago, this orphanage had become anything but safe. He picked on the other kids at first, but when he set his sights on the three, on Ella in particular, they had been abused for no other reason other than they were different. He even convinced the other kids (with either childish coercion or with false promises on something they didn't understand but accepted) to alienate them just to make them feel more unwelcome. Ella had the worst experience in the hands of the orphanage tyrant. He knocked the food off her tray, destroyed her homework, burned her drawings. He even lied to the nuns whenever Ella told on him or got caught in the act, he just kept torturing her._

 _Ella thought he was just trying to get attention, but the more he bullied her, the more she began to realize she was wrong, and she was starting to lose her patience with him._

 _He grew an arrogant smirk. "Oh, you know, I was wondering when you guys were gonna leave. You've always talked about escaping, but yet here you are sitting here doing nothing but talk and draw."_

 _"That's because we know we can't go anywhere without knowing anything about this world!" Marcus spat back as he stood up._

 _"Hah, you blokes talk like Earth isn't your home. Well guess what, it IS your home whether you like it or not! Just accept the truth, weirdos!_

 _"And what about you, witch, huh? Think you can keep that imaginary family of yours forever? Come on, admit it, they left you!" He struck the first nerve, he was beginning to push his boundaries._

 _"That's not true!" Said Ming as she stood up to defend her friend. "We were brought here against our will!"_

 _"Yeah, likely story, and then you're gonna tell me that monsters and heroes exist. What a load of horse dung!" The kids behind him laughed, just out of supporting him._

 _"Just what the heck is your problem with her!?"_

 _"What's my problem with her?" Irritated, he points his finger at Ella. "She's a bloody freak and she's crazy, that's what! She thinks she has a family back home who loves her, but where are they, huh? Why aren't they here to take her home?_

 _"I'll tell you why, because she's a witch, and nobody wants to be caught with a witch in their family. Might as well just_ burn _her before she grows up."_

 _Another nerve._

 _"Come on, she's done nothing to everyone, so just leave her alone!" Said Marcus as he got between his friend and the bully._

 _"Piss off!" Said the bully as he shoved him sideways to the ground. He then tells his gang, "hold him, and the shrimp, too."_

 _Ming's eyes widened when she realized what he was going to do. "No, leave her alone!" She yelled, but was pulled away by the kids while Marcus was pulled up and dragged away. They struggled to break free, but there were too many hands holding them back. Even from all their exercises to hopefully unlock their aura, they just hopelessly weren't strong enough._

 _On the inside, Ella's blood was boiling, and her body slowly began to shake. This older boy, this bully, didn't understand what it was like to be forcefully taken away from a family that loved her very much. She didn't know much about his family other than the fact that his parents were the only family he had before something bad happened to them. To insult people's families, however, was just stupid and downright cold, but he didn't seem to care, even after the many lectures he had from the nuns._

 _"So, you going to admit the truth now, or do I have to beat it out of you?"_

 _How dare he abuse her friends like this. At this point all that anger inside her wanted her to just stand up and beat the life of him right then and there, but she kept holding it back, because she knew the nuns were not around to see him bully her this time. If she did decide to punch him, he would just make up a story and pin the blame on her. That's the cruel reality of being an orphan in her opinion._

 _Somewhere deep down, though, some strange feeling began to stir, and it was beginning to grow. It wasn't her anger, but it felt like something else. It was warm in a comforting way like a mother would to her child. Alas, she was more focused on controlling her anger at this point, but that ended there when he said the one thing that would push her over the edge._

 _"What, still not going to say anything? You think that's going to make you special? I'll bet your sister didn't think so when she found out what you really are! I'll bet even she was a witch, too, and they burned_ her _before they sold you to the orphanage!"_

 _'That's… it!' She finally snapped as she then stood up, her body shaking in barely controlled rage. The strange feeling inside her began to awaken faster as well._

 _She was emitting a dreadful aura about her which made everyone back up hesitantly in fear. Unfortunately for Rodric, he didn't see it that way as he smirked, believing that he finally broke her spirit. "Oh what's the matter? You gonna… Huh?" He then looked confused when he saw… a red colored light highlighting her very being, and when she looked up at him, glaring devilishly at him straight in the eye, he realized in his shocked state that he pushed too far. "Wha-"._

 _"SHUT! UP!" She screamed as she raised her fist, channeling all of her fury into it before she threw a punch at him in the face. She did not realize she was channeling her Aura into her fist, giving it enough power to hit him hard onto the ground. She punched him so hard she literally busted his nose beyond repair and destroyed his front teeth._

 _He lied on the ground crying and holding his bloodied face in so much pain. Ella meanwhile kept giving him the death glare, her knuckles covered in splotches of blood._

-Line-break to the waking world-

Ella woke up with a short, soft gasp. She was sleeping against a tree in the middle of a forest close to the dirt road, though this was no ordinary forest. She and Eileen were currently in Forever Fall Forest, a mountainous area covered by a forest of red-leafed trees, allowing the whole area to appear red in color, even in the grass. Their red leaves grow and fall from the trees, and soon dissolve once they touched the ground, giving the impression of a forest trapped in eternal autumn. She was told about Forever Fall being such a wondrous and peaceful place, but when the two stepped into the red colored woods and had a late supper here, words were not enough to express its eternal beauty. Although this forest could be crawling with Grimm around every corner, she felt like wanting to build a cottage here, to simply be at peace with nature, but alas, she had more important things to attend to.

Forever Fall, why did the name sound familiar even though she cannot remember being here before?

"Had a pleasant dream, Ella?" She looked up to her right to see Eileen leaning against the same tree she slept against with her arms crossed.

"I wouldn't call it a pleasant one." She scoffed, then she got up and took a stretch.

"Hm, by that attitude I'd say you had a bad memory."

That somewhat surprised her as she stopped rolling her head halfway around a second time, trying to get the cramps out of the way. She looked back at her: "How did you know I was dreaming of a memory? I thought it was just another dream."

"Remember what I told you about myself yesterday?" Ella nodded, remembering how she got here. "Trust me when I say I went through the same process as you, but unfortunately at a much faster rate when I was young. Once I reached the age of nine, and with a certain trigger, those memories started flooding back me."

Ella's expression changed to that of sympathy. "It must've been a difficult childhood then, having all those memories of your past exploits rushing back to you."

"True, and it was frightening at first, but I eventually accepted them as my answer to who I was, and what I still am. Are you ready to go?"

The Good Hunter nodded, and were soon back on the trail leading to the city of Vale while at the same time had a small breakfast. Before and after they reached Forever Fall they encountered opposition along the way, but they were minor in numbers and were quick to be dispatched by the two Hunters. During those small battles, Ella observed Eileen's fighting style. Her style was quick and precise like a surgeon, able to kill her enemies far quicker than she could from her previous age, and her Semblance being that of shadow crows? Guess she still lived up to her title of "the Crow" after all. She saw in clear detail how she teleported from one place on the battlefield to the next as a black crow. Eileen, of course, learned much from her companion in the past, the video, and in fighting alongside her.

After spending two hours of walking on the trail, they finally reached the edge of the clearing, only to see the outer walls which stretched on for miles and stood roughly 40 meters tall. She eyed the trail until it ended at what she could assume from a distance was a large gate. She was awed by the effort these people put into building that wall, and she could bet it was really thick, too.

"Ella," she looked to her old friend, "what you will see behind those walls will surprise you. So my advice: try not to take everything in at once." She nodded in understanding. Although she had bits and pieces of strange things in her memory that were explained as best they could. Still, her unprepared eyes were about to be introduced to a whole new world.

They walked the rest of way towards the gate, and as they grew close, the walls seemed to grow taller in height. Eventually they reached the gate, it stood at twenty feet in height and thirty feet in length. It was made completely of reinforced titanium, and with good reason as far as she knew. There were bars connecting to both sides of the gate ending in what looked like a clockwork wheel at the center to complete its uniqueness. The gate had a vertical crack which split the gate in two.

Ella also noticed something else next to the gate; a window which housed a person reading some sort of newspaper. Perhaps this designated him as a guard of some sort.

"Let me handle this, I'll get us through." Said Eileen as they both went up to the window. She rang the buzzer which grabbed his attention from his reading.

"Hm?" He looked up from his newspaper to see who that was. "Oh um, please produce your scroll and have it scanned for identification." She pulled out her Scroll and slid it under the scanner. The light above the scanner soon turned green in confirmation. "Thank you, ma'am, you may proceed." He then looked to the other Hunter. "May you please produce a Scroll?"

"She's with me, the Headmaster sent me to retrieve her." She said as she put her Scroll back into the folds of her coat pocket.

"Well that's good and all, but Council Law says that one must produce a Scroll for identification or else they can't get in." She expected something like this to happen, so she pulled out a card and planted it against the window. The guard took one look at the card and was surprised to see three stars emblazoned on it. He realized his mistake, he knew what they stood for and knew that they had more authority than any Hunter out there. "Oh, you're a Three Star Huntress." He then looked at Ella again. "I-I apologize, please proceed."

"Thank you," she turned to Ella, "let's go."

She nodded, glad that she didn't have to go through that obstacle. They were soon in front of the gate, the guard tapped a few commands, and the clockwork wheel began to spin outwards until it stopped. Suddenly the bars began to retract, and when that was done, the doors slowly split open to reveal a dark tunnel to the other side. They proceeded on through, and as they went further in, the doors began to close, soon enveloping the tunnel in darkness except for the light at the near end of it.

As they walked, Ella heard some ruffling coming from Eileen, and she looked to see her taking off her cape which made her raise an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making myself a little more anonymous. I don't want people to start staring at a strange woman wearing a strange cape and weapons." After she rolled up her cape and hid it in her large satchel, she then unclipped her weapon. It was similar to the Blade of Mercy in design and function but was made of steel rather than Syderite. The bigger difference between the original and this version was its transformation. When split into two blades it could go into a second transformation into twin submachine guns. She witnessed just how devastating they were to the Grimm she dispatched, and even though they were made of a different composition, they were still just as deadly as their wielder. No wonder she didn't see a gun on her, the blade itself could also be a gun.

"Besides," she continued, "it's part of my profession after all."

Ella looked down at her own gear and wondered, "should… I be worried?"

"No, you'll do fine. Just don't put on your mask, and keep your hood down." She nodded, she took the mask with her yesterday as a way of preserving something, a memory of her past exploit, and perhaps as a way of keeping her identity safe in case she screwed up. Quinn and the others might notice this, especially the man would be disappointed, but they may just not care, who knows.

As the bright light on the other end of the tunnel inched ever closer, Ella readied herself for the inevitable dazzling that would come, but when her eyes finally cleared she stood frozen with shock for an instant, overwhelmed by what she saw: stores everywhere, and buildings taller and more modern than the depressing ones she had grown used to seeing back in Yharnam. People walked by, wearing mixed casual and business fashions, and yet stylish and fresh in ways that would give Yharnamite Tailors a run for their money. Some sort of automated carriages drove right past her.

There was a tickling feeling in the back of her head, telling her she had been here before, but "when" was the question. She still could not remember much about her past, and of course nothing that would even resemble this place. Sure, there was a city festival in one of her memories, but the buildings were different compared to this.

"Where… are we?" Ella asked still being in a surprised state.

Eileen looked to her in amusement. The poor girl was struggling to not take everything in. She chuckled: "This is the city of Vale. As of right now we're currently in the Commercial District."

"You mean it's like a marketplace?" She looked to her companion after seeing everything she could see.

"Close, but no. There are many stores here, but there are also business corporations here and there. Hence the tall buildings you see before you."

"So if we're in the Commercial District, where would Beacon Academy be?"

Eileen looked towards the direction of Beacon Academy. "The Academy is situated east from here." She said this while pointing the finger in said direction. "We'll head east through this district to the docks, and from there we'll catch a ride that will take us directly to the academy grounds."

Ella looked to where she pointed. "I see. Well, you know your way around this city better than I. Lead the way." She gestured for Eileen to lead. She nodded, and lead her through the streets of the district. Along the way she kept admiring the many items and stores they walked by. There was a weapons shop, a clothiers, a large grocery store, a jewelry shop, and there was a bookstore. There was even a dust shop with a name above saying "From Dust Till Dawn," and she thought that was a clever name, if somewhat quaint.

After walking through the district for almost an hour and a half, catching her share of strange stares and whispers about her outfit along the way, they made it to some sort of docking area. Ahead of the docking bay was a huge lake, and beyond that was a tall cliffside with man made stairs. The Good Hunter could just see a green light shining above the cliffs.

Now there were two ways to reach the academy: one would be to take a dirt cheap boat ride to the cliffside and having to walk the steps all the way up to the academy, and the second was to take an airship that would take them all the way up to the academy's landing platform. It was a tad more costly, but hunters could hitch a ride on them for free, and it was the fastest way. And the airship was what Ella was currently staring at nervously while Eileen looked back at her from inside that metal thing.

"What's wrong? Are you scared of something new?" Eileen smiled, amused by her awkwardness.

"A-Are you sure that thing is safe?" Ella asked nervously.

She bowed her head. "Naturally. It's a Bullhead. They're the safest in air transportation, so you don't need to worry."

That still did not convince her to come any closer. She still remembered her first time falling off the ledge in Cathedral Ward because of that monster, and it was the most horrible experience she could ever feel besides being crushed by an Amygdala. From then on she had tried to be more careful of where she stepped. "Well, maybe we should take a boat ride to the cliffside, it could be more relaxing I think."

She sighed in annoyance this time. "I'll be right back," she said to the pilot, and then she got out of the Bullhead and walked up to her and had her arms crossed. "For someone who became unafraid and faced many horrors on her own, one would think that you wouldn't be afraid of flying."

"I know that, but a person flying is not natural. Humans are meant to stay on the ground, and last I checked, Yharnam didn't have flying machines in the sky!"

She rolled her eyes, then she turned serious. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Um…"

"I told you that without fear in our hearts we're little more than the beasts themselves. But at the same time we need to face and overcome that fear in order to move forward, and you faced your fears many times over. Do you understand me?"

She thought it over for a bit, and with reluctance, she nodded in agreement.

"Good, now enough trembling in your boots." She sets her hand behind Ella's back, and pushes her forward along with her. "You have a Headmaster who's waiting for you."

Ella walked forcefully towards the Bullhead, and once inside she took her seat across from her. "We're in," the former Crow Hunter said, and the pilot activated the airship and closed the sliding doors shut. Ella grew more nervous as the engines grew louder, and when the Bullhead finally started lifting off, she held onto the armrests for dear life. She groaned, believing that this thing might fail mid flight at any moment. She kept staying that way until she had a flashback to when she first had her experience of flying.

She was sitting in a comfortable seat inside some kind of large flying machine, but that's not what was bothering her. The plane was beginning to move, and she was groaning out of fear. Thankfully, her mother was sitting right next to her.

"Dear," said her mother in a gentle voice as Ella then looked up to her. She could see her face more clearly now. She had pale white skin and pitch black hair, tied in a Mistralian (Greek like) bun, with strands of her hair dangling next to her eyes. Her face was sculpted to be like that of a goddess, and her eyes were blue. "What is the matter?"

"This is scary, I don't like it." She grew more scared as the plane sped faster.

She thought for a bit when she made a look of an idea that just might work for her. "Do you remember how we do our meditations?" Ella nodded anxiously. "Well, how about you do that. Just close your eyes, and block out everything around you but my voice. Breathe in and out regularly, and imagine the one place you love seeing."

Ella did all this while listening to her mother. She continued her meditation even after the plane took off.

The flashback ended with Ella having her eyes closed and breathing at a regular pace. She imagined the village of Huckleberry, eating dinner outside with Quinn, Ginger, and Lavi. Meanwhile, Eileen tilted her head to the side with an eyebrow raised in confusion while she watched Ella do her breathing meditation.

'Did she just learn that on the fly, or did she just remember?' She asked herself, although her mind was leaning towards the latter.

Two minutes later the Bullhead settled on the landing pad in front of the courtyard, its sliding door opened for the two hunters to disembark. Ella walked a little further after they got off, and took in all the sights this place held. The academy was huge, it was like a castle straight out of a fantasy novel, its architecture breathtaking. She had almost compared it to Cainhurst Castle, but that castle had nothing on this one, the complete opposite of the gloomy and dark keep she once explored.

"Magnificent, isn't it." Said Eileen who stood right beside her.

"Truly it is." She muttered in awe.

"Good to know you like the view. And there's more to see inside, if you'll follow me." She nodded as Eileen walked past her towards the courtyard, and she soon followed behind her. The path to the main door was surrounded on both sides by a line of lantern posts with holographic banners hanging off each of them. Beyond them were man made ponds, and their islands had a line of pillar like arches that went in an arc, and behind those on land were another wall of arches. They soon reached the center of the courtyard, where there were four paths which all ended on a red leafed tree. Situated in the center was a fountain with a sculpted statue of two hunters, one male and one female wearing cloaks and armor and wielding a sword and an axe. They were standing triumphantly on a rock with a beowolf crouched underneath.

In her point of view it symbolized what it meant to be a Hunter, to always be the guardians of humanity and to always keep the darkness at bay through courage, honor and sacrifice, or perhaps at whatever cost.

While she still admired the scenery, they eventually came upon the main doors, and with little effort, Eileen pushed open the doors and headed on through to Beacon Tower.

-Eighteen minutes later, Ozpin's office-

Ozpin was currently reading through the lists of requests on his Scroll, ranging from more assignment papers and jars for Dr. Oobleck's class and for Professor Peach, to the replenishment of certain medical supplies for the good Dr. Ashcroft. The other few teachers outside of Beacon had made requests to be considered for employment, and he had yet to read their files.

He was alone in his Office. His assistant Glynda Goodwitch was currently teaching her students in the combat arena, and it would only be awhile until her class ended.

He was about to make a few calls for the shipment when the elevator dinged. He looked away from his Scroll and towards elevator opening to reveal Eileen finally returning, and following behind her was the guest of honor, Ella herself, being dubbed the Missing Native. Without her mask he now had a good look at her. Black hair, pale skin, and quite the rare color of amber eyes.

"Ms. Corvo, welcome back," he greeted with a soft smile. He then nodded in Ella's direction, "and it is good to see you in person as well, miss Ella. I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"The honor is all mine," she bowed and crossed one arm around her waist in a hunter's salute.

He nodded his head approvingly in return, tacitly commending her courtesy, and made a gesture for the seat in front of his desk, which he had easily set up for this occasion. "Please, have a seat." Ella did as she was asked, so Ozpin asked straight away: "So, how has the hospitality of Huckleberry been?"

She smiled. "Very nice, I must say. I felt glad that I could finally meet a friendly populace for once." Truth be told, she still was glad she had not been attacked at first sight.

"That is good to know. And how have you treated the villagers?"

"I-I treated everyone with respect, but…," She slowly lowered her head, in both shame and dread of what she had attempted to do out of fear and instinct. She had seen and experienced things in Yharnam that would scar anyone for life. "I'm just not used being around people."

He already expected her to have acted like this, and he knew where she had her behavior from. He could only hope that it was not too severe. "Hm, well I do hope you haven't lashed out at anyone out of instinct."

Her eyes widened by his assumption. "N-no, well there were attempts, but I was stopped from even doing so."

He was a little surprised by her answer, but he grew curious in knowing who stopped her, although he may already know the answer to that. "Oh? Who stopped you from lashing out?"

"It was Quinn, he stopped me when I was about to… attack everyone surrounding me the first night. He understood… well, sort of understood what I went through, and from then on he stayed with me. To make sure I never did it again."

He smiled again, "ah, Quinn. The hero of Huckleberry. Did he ever tell you his story?"

She nodded. "He did, or perhaps the short version of it."

"I see, that is just like him." He chuckled, but he then spoke sympathetically this time, "but back to the topic at hand; I did expect that answer from you, knowing how you had to endure the whole night in Yharnam."

His mention of Yharnam surprised her. "Wait, how did you know I came from Yharnam?"

"Eileen told me everything there is to know of this 'other world' including Yharnam and the plague," he replied. "At first, I thought she was just telling some disturbing fantasy as a means to get under my skin. But then she brought other hunters to my office who explained the same thing in their point of view, thus confirming her story."

She looked to Eileen, silently asking if all of this was true, that he could be trusted. She nodded, and a sense of relief flooded the Good Hunter from a tension she never realized she had.

"So that means you will believe everything I say then?" She asked.

He nodded. "Without a doubt, yes."

She made a quiet sigh of relief. At least she would be taking comfort in the fact that someone truly believed her.

Ozpin continued: "Eileen has told me much about your exploits, but I would like to know if you ended the Hunter's Night."

She nodded, but her expression showed otherwise. "Yes, I did end the Hunt. But it was not as I expected it to be."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, and Eileen looked puzzled. Both of them being confused as to why she answered it that way.

"What do you mean when you say it was 'not as you expected it to be'?" He asked.

"Well, to my discovery, I was contracted to kill a Great One; an infant Great One." She answered, and that surprised them, more so from Eileen.

"How was that possible?" Asked a stunned Eileen.

"Well, to begin with, the source of the scourge turned out to be a nightmare made by the school of Mensis. They used to be part of the Healing church to what I've gathered, but as time passed they eventually became separate from the church, and used all manner of nightmarish rituals in secret to try and make contact with the Great Ones. They did succeed by using a Third Umbilical Cord, thus granting them audience with Mergo, but it resulted in the stillbirth of their brains, and to have their consciousness be trapped in the nightmare of their own making."

Ozpin's skin was beginning to grow pale hearing this, but was in confusion to one certain subject. "Hold on," he interrupted by raising his hand to silence her, "what exactly is a Third Umbilical Cord?"

"A Third Umbilical Cord is made by an infant Great One and are a precursor to the Umbilical Cord. They are used to gain insight, or as a means to contact the Great Ones as I mentioned earlier. That is all I know about them."

The headmaster bowed his understanding. "Is there something else?"

She nodded and traced back to where she left off. "The Mensis ritual, as it was called, was sealed away by Rom, also known as the Byrgenwerth Spider, thus creating a barrier so that no normal being would be able to see the true horrors surrounding them. I had to kill her in order to find the source. Of course, doing that removed the barrier and revealed the red moon… which caused the inhabitants to become beasts that much faster." The last sentence she spoke solemnly in guilt.

Their faces grew pale, Eileen more so after learning of this new information. Why the scholars of Mensis went to such drastic lengths to make contact with the Great Ones so badly, only to end up creating an even bigger problem was beyond her, but at least she would take comfort in knowing the Good Hunter had ended it.

Ella had to bury it back down in order to continue. "I eventually found the school of Mensis, and I went into the nightmare by touching the corpse of what I believed was Micolash. I've met him in the nightmare, being clearly insane by being trapped in that realm for so long. I slew him in order to reach Mergo. Once I reached the top of the tower I encountered Mergo's Wet Nurse, and by killing it also ended Mergo's life."

"And thus you fulfilled your contract and ended the Hunt." Eileen finished. Ella looked to her and nodded in confirmation.

Ozpin seemed satisfied enough to know how it all ended… if not technically more disturbed than before as his skin went pale with all that he heard. "Well that was… an interesting tale, although this may give me nightmares for the next few nights."

Now she started feeling even more guilty for telling them all that, but there was no other way to explain it other than by saying she had killed a Great One. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have described this less crudely."

"No, don't be. It was better to know the details… well, more so for her I suppose." He tilted his head once towards Eileen for emphasis as he then set his elbows on the glass desk and clasped his hands together. "Now onto the important question; why have you decided to come see me?"

"I came here hoping that you would help me find who I am and where my sister could be."

"I see, but do you remember your last name?"

She opened her mouth attempting to answer it, but it came up blank. Slowly she looked down, trying to remember but to no avail. And so she sighed. She knew this would complicate matters further.

"I cannot help you there, since you still cannot remember your family name. But that doesn't mean that we will not help you in that regard." He said.

She looked up to him, a little surprised he was willing to still help her.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes, and I would like to offer you this. You can stay here until you've fully recovered your memories. You will have access to the library, the cafeteria and the gym, and visiting the city will help you be familiar with the cultures and people here. But you will have it under two conditions."

"Which are…?" Suddenly, the elevator door dinged, and she turned her head halfway as it opened up to reveal lady Goodwitch returning from class while looking down on her Scroll.

"Ah, miss Goodwitch, perfect timing." Said Ozpin. Glynda looked up from her Scroll to see, to her small surprise, Eileen returning from her mission, and also someone else looking back at her.

"Is this who I think it is?" She asked.

"Yes. Glynda, this is Ella, the one who fought the Grimm in Huckleberry." He answered as he addressed the two. "Ella, this is Glynda Goodwitch. She is my assistant, and is a teacher for combat class."

Ella stood up from her chair as she turned and gave a small bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss."

She nodded back, but with a stern expression. "Likewise." She then looks at Ozpin, albeit suspiciously knowing him. "I get the feeling I'm needed here for a reason."

He nodded. "Yes, I am giving our good huntress an opportunity to stay here until she has recovered her identity and has been rehabilitated, knowing what she has experienced." She was about to speak in protest but Ozpin halted her with a raised finger. "But not without restriction."

He returned his focus to Ella now: "It would be unwise to have you go anywhere outside of this school without an escort, so it would be best that you be paired with either Ms. Corvo or Ms. Goodwitch for the time being until you've become more comfortable with the populace, and since you look to be in your early twenties this means you will not be able to attend this school as a student, but perhaps you can work here as an assistant and substitute."

Those two subjects had her curious. "An assistant to whom?" She wondered.

"Why, the very teachers here in this academy by request, though mostly you'll be helping Eileen of course, since you both are familiar with your profession."

She looked towards Eileen with raised eyebrows. "You're a teacher here?"

She nodded neutrally. "Yes, I attend the nightly hunt classes on the weekends. It will not be about hunting beasts in the city, it will be about understanding how to hunt in the urban jungle."

"Now as for being a substitute," said Ozpin, "you will be taking over Ms. Goodwitch's class from time to time in case she is needed somewhere else."

Glynda looked unsure about Ella's proposition of being a substitute, but to have free rein to roam around the school was another matter of concern. Sure, this young woman had battled beasts on the streets of Yharnam for one long night, but she had been told that Ella had killed people before, which was precisely what she was concerned about. The Hunt could have turned this girl into an emotional wreck ready to snap at the drop of a hat. Who knew what could cause her to lash out? Having someone that unstable around her students…

"Professor, are you certain it's wise to let her be roaming around this academy freely? What if something were to happen and she starts attacking students left and right?"

"I appreciate your concern, Glynda," replied Eileen, "but she has yet to lash out at anyone, and last time I checked she was doing just fine in the village. And we went through the city's market district without incident."

"That is a relief indeed," said Ozpin as he then looked back at Glynda, "and I doubt any student would want to pick on her."

Inwardly she sighed. "Alright, but I would like to watch over her performance once during the combat duels."

He nodded in understanding and looked to Ella. "Is this agreeable?" he asked.

Ella thought it over. This deal made her feel like, in some way, a hostage. But she knew she was still not able to be fully comfortable in crowds yet. Spending four days in a village wasn't enough to change oneself so quickly, so at least agreeing to this will help along the way of improving her condition. Plus having access to the library and a job wouldn't hurt to gain some pay and insight along the way.

"Yes," she said as she nodded.

He half-smiled, "good, but before you can join Beacon, we have a tradition of putting both new staff associates and students through initiation. If they succeed, they will be granted full entry into Beacon. Call it a test of skill to see what you're capable of, if you will."

"I see," she wondered, "and what does this initiation entail?"

"That would be a secret for the next half hour."

As if on cue, her stomach began to growl. She looked away feeling embarrassed. "Perhaps you could make that an hour? She and I went on a small breakfast."

"Of course," he nodded, "Eileen, will you show Ella the kitchen please?"

"Certainly." She gestured for Ella to come along.

"Thank you," she said to Ozpin, and the two were soon in the elevator going down.

"What are you thinking, Glynda?" He asked. Rather rhetorically, as he already kind of knew what she was going to say, but Ozpin was not one given to making pointless assumptions.

She narrowed her eyes. "You're putting a great deal of trust in her, but I'm still uncertain if I can trust her to stay under control in this school, or even in the city for that matter. You do remember the stories Eileen told us."

In that one case, his guess had been spot-on. "If you trust Eileen's stories, then you have to trust her word as well. What would the alternative be? Not to welcome her? Then she could explode somewhere out of our sight and people would get killed. If the worst comes to pass, there is plenty of people here who can contain her.

"It is a gamble we have to make. We already have discovered the phenomenon of Hunters coming from another world to stay here, but to have a native of our world returning from Earth. She has become a puzzle piece to a mystery we have yet to understand."

 **Well, here you have it folks, chapter 7. I know that there was little to no action here, but we are going to have Ella go through initiation. That should be something to look forward to, right? Also, sorry I didn't reveal her last name, it just didn't feel like it was the right time to do so. Otherwise it would have felt like I'm accelerating her memories.**

 **I hope you guys liked the dream memory of Ella punching her bully hard to the ground. Now I have a message to all victims of bullying: now depending on the bully, you can either fight back, showing that you no longer tolerate his/her arrogance; or just don't fight if it gives him/her the excuse to torture you even more. It can be a cruel world out there, so please, be strong about it and stand tall, because you know you're going to have a better life than whoever is picking on you.**

 **Now as for any bullies reading this; stop being a bully, because you never know when one of the victims of your bullying is going to come back to haunt you in ways you don't want to imagine.**

 **Oh yeah, shout out goes to CruxMDQ for his proofreading and editing.**

 **Plus, there is a reference in this chapter to a forgotten game. If you can find it and remember the name of the game, then brownie points for anyone who gets it.**

 **This Kyro2009, signing off.**


	8. Chapter 8

Bloodborne Twin Chapter 8

The two Hunters rode down the elevator in silence, and as it reached the main floor, Ella followed Eileen through the opened door and out of the lobby in the direction of the school's cafeteria.

As they walked, Ella kept to her thoughts. She wasn't thinking about the food, but about the initiation. What would it entail? she wondered. Could it be that she would have to fight some elite Huntsman in order to join? Would she have to fight an entire horde of Grimm and hopefully survive? Other ideas jostled in her mind, but they were more of an uncertainty due to her experience, and the only source of information would be, once more, the one she was following. She doubted Eileen would volunteer anything further, but nonetheless she could ask. Perhaps they would talk about it during lunch.

They eventually reached the door to the kitchen area. Once inside, she saw that the kitchen was spacious, yet there were many stoves, sinks and countertops being worked by chefs, cooking and preparing meals for the students at lunch hour. She was in awe of all the assortments of food they'd prepared. There were fruits and freshly cut vegetables, cooked beef and pork, chicken and turkey, breads, a large, strange fish with a long sharp nose, and… some kind of flat pie covered in cheese and pepperoni? Drinks were equally varied, ranging from milk to clear water.

All of these options made her mouth water just by looking at them all. Sure, she had had dinner with the Clansys for three days, and their meals were good, but their assortment had nothing on this.

Eileen chuckled at the sight of her colleague looking all over the food with hungry eyes. "What do you think?"

She was mesmerized. "There are _so_ many options to choose from," she muttered in stunned astonishment. "I don't know where to start."

"Well, we don't have all day," she replied with an amused look on her face. Ella felt something gently pressed against her stomach and looked down to see that Eileen was handing her a tray. "Here, pick what you want."

She held the offered tray in both hands and walked to the vast assortment of food. She really did not know what to pick, everything looked so appetizing. Eventually she picked an apple, a grilled salmon, a few carrots, and a bottle of water. She grabbed the utensils after that, and with that out of the way, she followed Eileen out the same way they had come in. They did not go very far down the hall before they came to a door that read: Lounge Room, Staff only.

"This is where we usually eat during lunch hours," said Eileen. "Of course, those of us who live here eat at our own living quarters."

"You all have living quarters here?"

"Yes, near Beacon Tower. We wouldn't want to be living in the student dorms now, would we?" She adjusted the plate to be balanced on one hand, and she opened the door with the other.

"Oh, Eileen," said the unknown woman with a very familiar, kind voice and accent. "It's good to see you again." Meanwhile Ella followed suit, with the door held open by Eileen's free hand. "And who's this girl you brought with you?" She turned to look at who the voice belonged to.

The Lounge room was spacious enough. It had four tables with six chairs surrounding each one. It also had two vending machines and three shelves, filled with various items, and the walls had a few various posters. That was all irrelevant to her, however, in light of the familiar, womanly occupant who was already in here before them. Her skin looked pale and had very faint outlines, showing she was in her early forties, and her hair had the mixed color of auburn gray. Her white outfit consisted something akin to a more up to date medical professional. Her gray eyes were looking right back at her. She had seen this woman, or perhaps someone just like her, back in Yharnam before, but their personal meeting was not in a good way, and right now she could not tell if she is the real one.

"Io… sefka?" She asked stiffly. Her instincts were screaming at her right now to take action before this woman could do more harm, but she couldn't do it due to the fact that she could be the real doctor from the clinic. So the question was; is she the real Iosefka? She really did not want to feel guilty in killing the wrong one.

The good doctor felt uncomfortable under the Hunter's gaze, along with the question itself, as if they had met before. She would admit that she swore she had heard that voice somewhere before, but she could not remember where first off. "Yes, I am… have we met before?" She asked as she tilted her head a bit in honest confusion.

Before she could answer that, Eileen had beaten her to it. "Yes you have, actually. This is the Good Hunter from Yharnam I told you about."

Iosefka looked at Eileen confused and with narrow eyes. "Are you certain this is her? I only remember meeting a woman in a white mask." She had been told stories from Eileen about the Good Hunter, how she had slain beasts with barely a struggle, and how she conjured fire from her hands. Although the details somewhat matched the woman she had met in person for the first and last time, it just seemed so outlandish for a Hunter to have fire coming out of her hands.

Ella's mind meanwhile was beginning to lean towards the mad imposter, but that still was not enough evidence to suggest it. She sounded genuinely confused, and the mention of her white mask only proved the two of them had seen her wear it, which left her conclusion to be indecisive.

Eileen looked to her companion, knowing that this was the opportunity for Iosefka to prove she was the innocent one, and to end Ella's silent paranoia. "Go ahead, show her your mask."

She looked back at Eileen only for a moment, but in a split-second she understood why. So she set her tray of food on the table, reached inside the folds of her coat for the mask, and held it out for Iosefka to see. She saw the woman gasp, her eyes wide in surprise and fear. Still, she made no overt attempt to run away, but whether it was because of calm or because of being paralyzed with indecision, she could not tell.

Iosefka was very much surprised to be meeting the Hunter who had showed her mercy back at the clinic. She stretched her hand out for the mask. "May I see it?"

Ella handed the mask to her, and the doctor slowly held it close for inspection. Her bare fingers traced the smooth, white painted surface. It looked almost rather worn, but it still looked as if she had just seen it yesterday. This was the Hunter who had killed her that night. The night when all she ever wanted was someone to end her suffering of being… that thing.

"I remember this," she exasperatedly said. She looked up to her, looking her straight in the eye. "So you were the one who killed me that night." She gave her a soft smile. "Thank you."

Ella looked at her, incredulously confused: "For… what?"

The good doctor understood her confusion after knowing who she was and still is. After all, the Choir agent who experimented her changed herself to look like her and well… almost talk like her. That woman barely kept her sanity together when asking someone outside to bring more survivors to care to them as 'patients' she would call them. "For ending my misery when I was a Celestial Minion at the clinic. I was turned into one of those things to… 'help her ascend' she said to me." The last part she said with disdain.

She sighed and blurted out, "sometimes I think the night must have broken her sanity."

"What happened in that clinic," she asked, her curiosity now becoming more interested to knowing what happened behind the scenes.

She already expected her to ask about it, and it took her years since her new childhood to come to terms with it. The Healing Church did not exist in Remnant, as a matter of both fact and relief, and she was free to speak her mind about it. She had already told her story to Eileen, Glynda, and Ozpin, so there was really no point in keeping it from the Hunter who ended her, if only to give her the short version of it. "Well, you already know that I was once a doctor of the Healing Church. For several nights since the plague came, I devoted all my time and resources, experimenting to find a means of combating the plague, and on that one Hunter's Night, I came to the very cusp of finding a cure but…," she sighed and her voice became solemn this time. "After you left I was in my lab. I had no assistants working for me, I always tended to work alone. But out of nowhere I was held in a choke hold and got stabbed in the neck with a syringe. It was only a moment before my assailant drew it out.

"I didn't know what she injected me with at the time, but I was feeling so much pain, inside and out, and before I completely turned into that horrid thing I turned to look at my attacker. She looked just like me, and I didn't know why until later on."

She lowered her head a bit and slowly shook, sighing quietly. "All my research and hard work, burned to ashes for a mad woman's scheme to become a Great One." Then she looked up to the Hunter with a pleading look on her face, "I'm sure you already know the rest, but please tell, what happened to my imposter? Did you kill her?"

Ella nodded her head, "yes I did, though I had to reach her through the mob of celestial minions."

"I see. Well whatever the case, I'm just glad it's over." She made a mental sigh of relief, and for the moment, all was silent. Then she looked up to her again with a gentle smile on her face. "You know, I remember that, when we last spoke to each other, I said I would be looking forward to seeing what you looked like when the night was over. Perhaps… if you would like, maybe we could start over?"

Ella remembered their last conversation back at the old clinic as well, but the growing madness of the Healing Church tore that promise apart with just one syringe. Here in Vale, however, maybe they could fulfill that promise now.

"I'd be glad to." she said with a smile. She leaned in a bit and extended her hand out to retrieve her mask. "My name is Ella."

Iosefka knew what the gesture was meant for, so she stood up and handed it back to her. "And I am Iosefka Ashcroft, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

-45 minutes later-

Ella and Eileen stood behind the academy near a long line of metal platforms at the edge of the cliffside overlooking the Emerald forest. It had the picture of two axes crisscrossing each other and a wreath, making this the symbol of Vale. Ella felt well fed and re-energized after a long day of travel to get here, although it made her wonder why they were at the edge of the cliff. During their meal, Ella tried to convince her friend, even Iosefka, to know what this initiation entailed, but to no avail, saying that it would only spoil the surprise.

Just what were they hiding that could be so important? For all she knew, it could just turn out to be easy.

"You're here, and just on time." The two hunters turned to see Ozpin and Glynda approach them. "Please, stand on the platform." She did as instructed and stood on the metal platform, although this made her question why. "For years you have survived the harsh world of Earth, and for one long night you fought through Yharnam as a Hunter, but today your knowledge and skill will be evaluated in the Emerald forest."

"Normally for students, this evaluation will have them be placed in teams," said Glynda, "but for new staff members, this test will let you earn your place in this academy if you succeed."

"The objective of this test will be to find an abandoned temple at the northern end of the forest containing a single relic. You will guard that relic as well as your standing as you return to this cliff, and we will be grading you accordingly. You will be meeting opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die, any questions?"

"I do, actually." Said Ella, "what would happen if the opposition becomes too much to handle?"

"We will be monitoring you, but we will not interfere if it ever happens. Facing the enemy, no matter how large, will require you to test your resourcefulness. Are there any more questions?"

She shook her head. "Good. Now, take your position." That short sentence alone made her look at him in question.

"Wait, what do you mean take position? Aren't you going to be dropping me off or something?"

"No, you will be conducting your own landing strategy." He answered passively.

She got confused even more, but all of a sudden she heard gears beginning to turn underneath the platform she stood on. Her mind had quickly put two and two together, and she widened her eyes and her face grew pale in horror in what he really meant, but at the same time it made her furious for not being told of this.

She glared at Ozpin, "why you son of a-," she never got to finish that sentence as the platform catapulted her hard into the air screaming. Ozpin meanwhile looked-on at the fleeting form of Ella in amusement as he took another sip of his coffee.

The Good Hunter learned something that day; _easy_ was never the right word to say.

-Meanwhile; in the air over the forest-

She was scared…. no, it was more than that, she was terrified!

She was slowly rolling end over end, panicking as she sailed over the Emerald forest. She had never been in a situation like this before and she probably never will if she did not figure something out soon, and at this altitude it would only be a matter of time before gravity decided to take over. What was she suppose to do she wondered in her panicked mind.

Her survival instinct kicked in, however, as she tried to stop herself from rolling, calmed herself and went into coming up with a plan. Ozpin said to conduct a landing strategy, but how can she achieve that? She could try to grab onto one of the branches, but what are the odds of getting impaled by one? There could be the chance of a pond nearby, but the way she was seeing almost everything from where she was there was going to be no chance of crashing into one.

Meanwhile, gravity finally decided to start pulling her downwards to the earth. She had to come up with something soon or else she was going to be a wrecked up corpse. She looked around for any options available until suddenly, she saw a lone beowolf, a young one at that, wandering in the clearing… and she was on a collision course directly toward it. This somehow gave her an idea that may be crazy but it just might save her life. She pulled out and split her Blade of Mercy, and switched the dual blades in reverse grip. The beowolf's back was to her, but she changed that by making a drawn out sound loud enough for it to hear her.

Meanwhile, the beowolf was wandering around aimlessly, minding its own business until it heard a strange shout coming from behind it.

"WOOOWOH!"

It turned around only for it to widen its eyes in shock as it was instantly collided and stabbed deep in both of its lungs by a speeding human rocket. She crashed into the beowolf, using it as a landing cushion to hopefully stop her forward momentum as she shut her eyes at the last second. It somewhat worked as the dying monster slid along the ground a very short ways on its spiked back, but she felt the pain all over her from the impact. It was only brief thanks to her Aura protecting her and healing her injuries, but the same could not be said about her head feeling light for some reason.

She soon slowly opened her eyes, but her vision was all blurry, and she felt dizzy and weak just from trying to move. Then slowly, with shaking limbs, she groaned as she got off the now dead and dissolving beowolf, forgetting about her buried blades in its chest as she walked haphazardly for about five feet away from it. She slowly moved her head around and shook herself to clear her vision, and eventually she was able to see the large clearing and tree line all around her. She moved her body around next to get rid of any aches she might still have. She will admit it was quite the wild stunt she pulled, but she reminded herself and kept what she said back at the docking area.

Humans were never meant to fly.

She looked behind her to see that the dead Grimm was nearly dissolved. She only took one step to grab her blades before hearing growls from all around her. This must have been the rest of its pack, save for the alpha who must be hiding somewhere in the woods. So she abandoned the blades and grabbed Simon's Bowblade off her back, switched it into its bow form, and made ready with a nocked quicksilver arrow.

The first beowolf came at her from the left. She turned, drew the arrow and fired it in quick and accurate succession as the arrow pierced through its heart. It was actually a distraction, however, as another beowolf was already charging up behind her right. She already heard it coming even before she killed the first as she spun, folded her weapon back into a sword mid swing, side stepped out of the way of the pouncing Grimm and sliced it in half. Then she unfolded the sword into a bow again and fired a steel arrow at a third beowolf charging from the south end. The arrow struck true, punching all the way through the skull.

After a fourth beast was fatally struck down, the pack leader hidden in the foliage let out a haunting howl, evidently having decided that enough was enough, in this way signaling the remaining eighteen demonic werewolves surrounding her to charge in, blocking any chance of an exit. One of the beowolves made the mistake of jumping for her, however, and she saw this narrow opening as the only opportunity to escape, activating her Old Hunter's Bone and narrowly teleporting past the demon wolf. Once behind its back she smacked her palm on its back and channeled her Semblance into it. The beowolf yelped in surprise of being touched, but suddenly it felt its body heating up drastically, and before it could comprehend what the heck was going on, its body began to burn from the inside and bursted into flames. The pack saw its comrade burst into fire and backed away in separate directions.

This was just where she wanted them to be.

She dashed the closest one, who was equally distant from the others, and gripping the sword in both hands to her left side, she ducked and swung her sword twice in a deep, diagonal arc creating a deathly X mark. Two of the creatures were closing in while the others half surrounded her. She chopped off a slashing arm that had tried to claw at her and then swung her sword upwards, its needle-sharp tip opening a bloody gash on its neck that proved ultimately lethal. The second one made to pounce on her, hoping to hold her down so the rest of the pack could finish her off, but it had almost telegraphed its attack to her in this fashion and so the ill-timed jump ended with the sword running right through it mid air. The dissolving body was thrown over her shoulder.

Seeing three of them now deciding to close the distance, she pulled out her Winter Hawk, took quick aim and shot each of the soulless creatures on their heads. She had to admit this pistol was quite powerful, as one shot was all it took to shatter their skull masks like so much porcelain and to blast their brains in pieces.

The beowolves at her sides tried to seize the distraction and closed in for the kill with huge strides, but the leftmost of them only got a deep, diagonal slash through its chest for its trouble, then a stab through the heart that instantly killed it. She pulled the sword out by kicking the dissolving corpse, giving her the boost necessary to give the one on the right a shoulder bash. The attack stunned the creature, giving her enough time to swing her sword and slice half of its head off, with enough momentum left for her blade to find its mark straight through the jaws and spinal cord of another monster.

What had been a fearsome pack twenty-two members strong had been reduced to a measly six at the hands of this huntress. These six, however, prowled out of her range; whether hesitant to provoke this dangerous enemy or biding their time, she could not tell. Quinn had told her that Grimm could learn from their mistakes almost like any other animal, and those that grew in age not only put on more muscle and grew deadlier claws and spikes, but also became sly and cunning. That was another thing that separated them from the beasts she had grown used to killing, and she was unsure whether to be disturbed or not.

But pouncing from behind her and out of the forest line was the alpha itself. She narrowly escaped its claws and landed somewhat in the middle of the clearing, the six minions backing away as if this was the alpha's fight. The alpha, however, had a different idea as he barked at them to attack her now, and the alpha joined in as well. She acted quickly by using the Old Hunter's Bone again while on the go and had to squeeze through the narrow opening, but a lucky beowolf scratched her mid dash. Her Aura kept her safe, but the scratch staggered her a little, and it was enough for one of the beowolves who stopped mid charge to tackle her to the ground.

Ella was pinned to the ground under the monster's weight, her sword knocked away from her hands and instead was using her left arm against its neck to hold back the jaws of the beowolf from biting her head off. Good thing she remembered being in a situation like this before as she pulled out her throwing knife with her free hand and plunged it into the Grimm's infernal eye. Her attacker howled in pain and pulled away just a bit, but enough for the Hunter to kick it off and away from her. It was but a sliver of an instant, but she made the best out of it as she sprang to her feet and struck at the Grimm with both hands. It went ablaze at once. Its howling became an ear-splitting shriek of agony and its fellows backed away, giving the Hunter enough of an opening to retrieve her bowblade and make ready for the charging Grimm approaching her.

To an onlooker, it would appear that the clash had been choreographed, because she was dodging the beowolves' attacks by the skin of her teeth, while her own strikes would always find the weak point of her enemy. One went down after her blade sliced its throat clean. Another had its ribcage torn in half by a vicious blow. A third would end sprawled on the ground after its swipe only struck thin air, the huntress teleporting behind it and burying her blade on its back. A swift kick sent this corpse towards a fourth beast, the impact staggering it and leaving it totally exposed for the strike that took off its head. The fifth and last minion roared a challenge and charged at her, and instead of cutting him down she went teleporting a fair distance away from it and threw the sword with Aura enhanced strength like a javelin. The charging beowolf tried to stop in panic, but it was too late as the sword skewered it in the chest.

With the minions out of the way, only the alpha was left. It was pissed, its plans for ambushing the human ended in failure, and now the monster had cost it the whole pack to be slaughtered. It bellowed out a roar as it lunged for her, prompting her to teleport out of the way at the right time and ran for her sword. The alpha went after her, and just when she pulled it out she had to duck underneath a swipe and teleport passed another swipe, going passed between it's legs. It tried to backhand her as it turned around, but she jumped backwards out of the way and pulled out her pistol.

As it was, she could have dispatched this monster without effort, but a spark of an idea blossomed in her mind, so she waited. All she had to do was time her shot right.

Just as the alpha was about to slam its claw down on her, she fired her Winter Hawk. The bullet made a sizable enough hole on its bone plated chest, suddenly knocking the air out of its lungs and staggering the soulless beast to its knees. It was dazed and confused, but not yet dead. This was the window of opportunity for her to exploit as she ran up to the kneeling monster and stabbed her hand into the beast's chest where its heart was, and instead of heating up and combusting the body, her gloved hand briefly lit up in flames and channeled them into its body, unleashing the fire within. Another ear-splitting shriek seared the air before the monster was knocked away by a fiery blast which sent it sprawling on its back. Part of its insides were thoroughly cooked, and the heart was burned to ash. Even its fur was being set aflame from the blast. The alpha groaned in its death throes, smoke billowing out of its mouth before it collapsed, lifeless.

Ella quickly walked up to the burning yet dissolving corpse. She placed her steaming red hand, the one she used to cook the alpha from within but burned her glove in the process, just over the fire. The flames licked her red skin, but did not bite: she was outright immune to them. She knew her clothes were not so resilient, but her Aura (once called magic) would strangely repair and protect them whenever they got cut or nearly torn. Fire on the other hand was a different matter. Whenever she heated her blades her Aura would keep her gloves and parts of her outfit from burning up, but if she conjured fire from her hand, her Aura would be more focused on the Semblance (once called inner power) and the gloves would just burn away.

Like the heated blades, she absorbed the heat coming off of the corpse, but she also absorbed the fire as well, both of them being converted and replenishing her Aura while also strengthening her Semblance. She had done this since it's discovery during the hunt, and more often than not, it had proved to be a lifesaver. Before the discovery, her Aura would regenerate slowly throughout the night, and whenever she was in danger she couldn't always rely on those powers to save her. It was only when she had accidentally placed her hand on a torch that she had realized something about her Semblance, and more.

Most of the fire was absorbed through her palm, and her Aura was fully replenished. Her skin had soon returned to its normal pale color which didn't bother her in the slightest. When she had first seen the skin of her hand turning red after conjuring fire, she had freaked out, thinking she had burned herself, but she had not felt any pain, which was odd. Whenever she tried conjuring another flame nothing else happened. Coming with the assumption that this could be something that she was limited to doing, she stuck to using heat and the occasional fireball.

Satisfied, she moved her hand away from the corpse and inspected her sleeve. It was not exactly spared unfortunately, it was singed halfway through the cuff. She sighed in frustration for the mistake. Whenever she used her Semblance in unleashing fire, her clothes tended to get burned, but whenever she went to the Hunter's Dream and back her outfit would once again look brand new as if nothing ever happened. Now here in the waking world, she would never get that luxury ever again. She would have to be more careful from now on.

She then went all over the clearing looking for her fallen items. She picked up her used arrows, but one quicksilver arrow was damaged beyond repair, bringing down her ammunition count to five. She picked up the throwing knife, a snap inspection confirming it was still sharp enough for use, and finally picked up her Blades of Mercy. Sliding everything back on their proper places, she soon went north to the forest temple, or at least she hoped she was heading north.

-Meanwhile-

Back at Beacon cliff, the three professors were monitoring the performance of the Good Hunter, and currently their thoughts were mostly in the positive, save for Glynda.

"Well, she survived her landing and her first bout of Grimm." Glynda commented as she looked at the few camera angles of their initiate and spoke her thoughts. "Her resourcefulness and quick thinking are commendable, but her style of combat and use of her Semblance is rather questionable."

"If not without finesse of course," added Eileen. "And since it's the same style she used in Yharnam, I'd say it's still helping her quite well so far."

"You were with her the whole time coming back here, so you must know."

"True, and it's still the same if not better."

Glynda tapped a few things as she filled in the numbers on the Hunter's performance. When she was first told of Ella's tale through the former Crow Hunter's eyes, she was skeptical and admittedly frightened at first. Learning that she used her Semblance to kill both man and beast disturbed her to the point where, if that young woman were to ever come to Vale, she would have had her arrested on the spot and be put behind bars for the rest of her life. But that was back then, and by taking a while to process all the information gleamed on her, she came to realize that Yharnam was not the same as the rest of the kingdoms, even if that city was not apart of the world of Remnant. The monsters and people there were infected and insane, giving the young lady no choice but to kill in order to survive. She could only imagine the kind of horrors she had to endure.

Glynda did have some relief, however, in knowing the Hunter still had a heart when sending survivors to the chapel. Seeing the video, meeting her in person, and with Ozpin filling her in on their meeting was proof enough that Ella was still human and had a strong will which spoke volumes. Still, it was her duty to keep her students safe, and she could not fully trust her psyche just yet.

Ozpin, meanwhile, was half listening to their conversation while his eyes remained focused on one part of Ella's body which hovered above the flames; her red hand. Eileen told them stories of her use of Pyrokinesis, and her ability to absorb fire and heat into herself baffled them. They had all seen over the years students with pyrokinetic abilities, and had seen students who could absorb certain natural elements to make their Semblance stronger or regenerate their Aura. A pyrokineticist that could both strengthen a Semblance and regenerate Aura would be an extremely rare individual. The only thing that seemed off to him was her hand being red before it disappeared from having her Aura being fully replenished. Eileen had never mentioned anything about that sort of condition.

'I wonder,' he thought as he rewound the video, paused it at the right moment and took a picture of it.

"Speaking of Semblances," said Ozpin as he looked to Eileen, "Miss Corvo, do you remember seeing her skin turn red before?" The Headmaster showed her a zoomed-in image of the Hunter's red hand. She narrowed her eyes and hummed in thought as she went through all the memories of that night.

"I'm not sure if I have," she answered uncertainly, "I mostly watched her from afar so I may not have noticed… wait."

"Hmm?"

"I remember her battling against Dark Beast Paarl in some graveyard outside Old Yharnam. The monster was ancient, completely malformed and skeletal in its appearance. It was also enveloped in lightning."

"Lightning?" Asked Glynda with a single eyebrow raised in confusion, but more so in curiosity.

She nodded. "Yes, as difficult as it is to believe, but the old beast was not immune to fire, and Ella tried to exploit it the best she could. Paarl, however, was becoming more aggressive and faster despite its size, and soon she was starting to be on the receiving end of its attacks. Just when I thought she was going to die, she did something I thought I'd never see her do.

"I was quite surprised when her arms were on fire and proceeded to go all out against the beast. After I was done seeing Paarl being turned into a smoldering pile bones, I looked at Ella to see that her arms were completely red. From the distance I was at, I thought she had overtaxed her powers and burned herself, but there was no scream of pain coming from her. She was looking at them, too, and was wondering about the same thing. Looking at this now, I think perhaps this is something else."

"Hmm." He hummed in thought as he looked back at the picture.

"Perhaps it could be a side effect of her Semblance." Glynda theorized, "something as a way to indicate her limit."

"Maybe, and I do have a theory of my own, but I believe it would be best to monitor the rest of her progress until then." A side effect could be one thing, such as a certain little girl at Signal Academy with a speed Semblance who left behind rose petals as a side effect, but his gut told him it was an error to take it as a sign of danger. For now this was something beyond their understanding, but Ozpin thought of something that just might add up. One that seemed more troubling.

"Are you sure you don't wish to share it with us?" Asked Eileen.

"Like I said, it's just a theory, one that I hope I'm wrong about."

That answer puzzled the two professors as they gave each other looks of concern, but Ozpin continued as he changed the subject to more pressing matters while looking at the monitoring screen on his Scroll.

"Oh, that seems to be concerning."

The two professors looked down at their Scrolls, wondering what he meant. It soon dawned on them that Ella was apparently going in the wrong direction, and this made Glynda give an expression of that of a metaphorical sweat drop. She looked to Eileen to see if she was feeling the same way, but she looked surprisingly unconcerned. Still, she sighed as she thought of one thing for certain.

This was going to take longer than she expected.

 **A/N: Okay… umm… yeah, I took quite a while with this didn't I.**

 **I'm really sorry I made you all wait this long for chapter 8 to be out. I will admit it right now that this chapter was giving me a hard time. It was not just the combat scenes and the dialogue that gave me a hard time, my biggest dilemma right now is Ella's Semblance. I have made it seem a little confirmed that it is Pyrokinesis, but I was thinking that it would have a dark twist/version to it, or perhaps a complication, hence the red hand. I had it all planned out in my head at first, but the more I wrote about her Semblance, the more my mind would spring up doubts that what I had planned was not going to be good or too confusing for the readers to understand. I understand that this is fanfiction, and I know that someone is going to yell at me; "dude, this is fantasy and anime crossing over with a video game! Of course they're not meant to make any sense! That's why it's called imagination!"**

 **Normally you guys are right, but my mind tends to want to go for things that would make more sense for everyone, and it's starting to be a burden at this point. Well I'll have to make a decision in chapter 9 soon. Otherwise my indecision will get me stuck.**

 **Anyways, besides my indecisions, I guess you are all surprised to see Iosefka in this story. Don't worry, she's the real one for sure. Now I'm pretty sure you are all wondering if I'm going to be putting in non-Hunter characters into this story as well. The answer is yes, but I'm not sure who else given my choices in the game and their background. I guess I'll try to figure something out as I keep writing.**

 **Shoutout goes to CruxMDQ for his amazing proofreading and editing.**

 **This is kyro2009, signing off.**


	9. Chapter 9

Bloodborne Twin Chapter 9

Ella had wandered for quite a while, her senses fully alert and on the lookout for anything that was off, but all she heard were the rustling of tree leaves, the chirping of birds, and the occasional snapping of twigs under her heeled boots. She had come to realize just how thick this forest was as she headed north, or at least she hoped it was north. She came upon a clearing, then noticed the scorch marks and realized in annoyance she had just fought the beowolves there. She was walking in circles.

She let out an angry sigh, then looked back at the forest. She was a crafty fighter and could navigate any urban landscape as if she belonged there, because that was where she belonged, not in seemingly virgin woods. One similar place she had been to was the Forbidden Forest, but it had trails and landmarks and other features she could use for reference. This place had none, and lacking a compass just made things worse.

If this was the kind of test that all future staff had to go through, she would consider them lucky they knew better than her, and it frustrated her more.

She shoved her hands into her coat pockets, only for her gloved left hand to feel something round in said pocket, and this struck her as odd. A good hunter was always mindful of her gear, and she could not recall having left anything there. She grasped the object and pulled it out to see what it was, only for her eyebrows to rise up in surprise. A compass? It was decidedly not hers, she had never had one…

'Maybe Eileen snuck it in my pocket while I wasn't looking,' She thought, 'I guess she knew I would get lost here.' Throughout her long night of the hunt, she had simply explored through the nooks and crannies of Yharnam and the woods beyond it. There was no such thing as a signpost anywhere, and the only way she got around was by remembering the landmarks. She was grateful for the surprise, for she needed it this time.

As she looked down at the compass, she unconsciously adjusted the direction as if she had done this before. That somewhat surprised her, she seemed to have remembered everything there was to know in using a compass, but she could not remember whoever taught her. It was rather weird, but for now, she had a temple to find. She turned around until the arrow pointed towards true north. Smirking, she left the small clearing and walked back into the forest, knowing full well she would not be lost this time.

-Back at Beacon cliff-

The three professors saw what they would guess was a compass in her hand as they watched her walk back, in the correct direction, into the forest from their monitors. For the two professors, Ozpin and Eileen, showed no concern with her using a compass, simply knowing the obvious, and seeing she knew how to use one.

Glynda, however, felt a little puzzled seeing this. Every veteran Huntsman and Huntsman-in-training knew how to get from one place to another without getting lost or using a compass. They had learned to either look to the circumference of the sun, or look at the moss growing on the northern side of a tree and so on. A compass was useful, but without understanding the difference between true north and magnetic north, one could still get lost. Now she was truly heading north, but why had she walked in circles before? Either she had forgotten she had a compass, which was quite unlikely, or someone had slipped her one without her being aware of it.

And only a very few people could slip something into a Hunter's pocket in this fashion. She glared at Eileen, and thought there was the slightest hint of a smirk on her lips. Glynda narrowed her eyes with a frown.

"You gave it to her, didn't you?" She asked somewhat accusingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she answered in feigned ignorance of the deed. Glynda stared at her for a bit, but simply sighed through her nose and looked back down at her Scroll in resignation.

-Emerald Forest: 10 minutes later-

She had travelled up through the woods with her compass in hand, now more confident that she was heading north. She looked down at her compass from time to time, making sure she did not end up going the wrong way, making slight adjustments to her heading when necessary. She had only run into a couple packs of Grimm so far, only to wipe them out with her Blade of Mercy, and during those short battles she did not use her Semblance. It was not because she wanted to challenge herself, but it was because she did not wish to accidentally burn down the forest, and that would have made her future resume look bad.

She kept walking on until she finally saw a clearing up ahead. After walking a little faster, and making a silent prayer hoping she did not go around in a circle this time, she came onto the clearing. The open, grassy area was much larger than the clearing she once landed in. On the other side it only had one hill leading to the woods, and standing at the top and in front of the forest edge was an old stone structure with ruined pillar arches that almost went in a circle. This had to be the one place she had been looking for.

The ruined temple.

'Finally!' She thought as she smiled, relieved that her knowledge in navigation had come in handy as she walked on towards the temple. While she had traveled through the woods and towards the temple, she had never paid much thought to what the relic would be. She just didn't care, all she had to do was grab the relic and head back to Beacon. The only problem was how, but all she would do was take one step at a time.

She had made it at the bottom of a rather short hill when she halted, the feeling of being hunted began to creep in. She unconsciously brought her guard up, hands near her Blade of Mercy and Winter Hawk as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She focused on listening, and kept her eyes open for the predator hiding behind the scene, never forgetting that no matter how many beasts she had slain, or how powerful she thought she was, when a hunter hunts a predator, it always goes both ways.

Then she heard it. It sounded strange, like a hiss, coming from… behind the temple?

As if fate decided to answer her question, the head and body of a giant, black snake slithered around from behind the ruined temple. She started backing up as the black snake went slithering closer toward its prey. It then turned around halfway on itself before lifting its head and body up, easily towering over the Hunter.

She had a good look at the large, black serpent before her. It had red eyes, and its scales were pitch black like the others, but the only difference was the bone plates… or lack thereof. The only bone plates it had were on its head, but it looked more like an ornamentation than armor. It had a circle shaped bone plate in the center of its head with red markings naturally drawn on it, and the two curving bone plates with red markings surrounded the centerpiece.

Right after it towered over her, it coiled back and lunged for her, jaws wide open revealing two large fangs along with many more behind them. She dodged to the left, and where she once stood the dirt and grass was kicked up by the overly large serpent as it slithered around and lunged for her again. She had no choice but to keep moving as she jumped out of the way. It kept slithering on the move, ready to lunge for her when it had the chance while the Hunter pulled out her Winter Hawk and fired three rounds at its scaly hide. To her bitter satisfaction, the bullets went through, but did not give the effect that she had hoped. Perhaps its body was tougher than she realized.

The monster let out a hiss of both pain and irritation as it again lunged at her. She jumped to the side at the last second, making sure to get its attack to simply miss, but she ended up being in the snake's circle as if it planned to trap her all along. Its circle began to shrink in, the black snake clearly intending to constrict her to death. A normal human would have been lost, but a Hunter could escape that deathtrap with an Aura-boosted jump. The snake bared its teeth and pounced after her a third time, only for Ella to twist in midair and fire two more rounds at it. One through its underside and the other though it's left eye and along the rest of its cheek, making the monster blind on one side. She tried forming more when the slide slid back, and the two clicks from her trigger indicated the clip was spent.

The beast screamed and shook its head in agony, and turned around to glare at the Hunter with its remaining eye. Again it coiled, again it hissed, and again it lunged after Ella, rage blinding it to the growing clumsiness and predictability of its attacks. She dodged it, reloading her gun as she did, still moving, still twisting about, aware that a mistake would mean she would be impaled in its jaws.

As she kept her eyes on the black snake, she sensed and heard something coming straight for her, and on instinct she narrowly rolled out of the way as a white blur lunged right past her. She looked up from her crouched position to see another giant snake, this time being white with the bone plated symbol on its head being a deep gray color. She clenched her teeth and growled to herself. Dealing with one these reptiles was hard enough, now she had two to contend with.

One at a time they lunged for her, leaving her no choice but to be on the defensive. She kept dashing left and right, taking a shot or diving for a cut or a stab whenever she had the chance, something easier said than done when all the while they tried to strike her down more fiercely. This was getting her nowhere fast, and she couldn't afford to waste any ammo.

She barely had a sliver of an instant to be surprised upon noticing that they were connected to one body, hence the checkered pattern in the middle of the body. Just like the snakes in the Forbidden Forest, she thought, the only difference being that the monsters she faced in those woods were an amalgamation of many snakes literally big and small, and they all were either tangled together or attached to some core she would not know. These snakes on the other hand were visibly attached from one end to the other, and were pretty much capable of working together more suitably than the ones she fought before. At least these ones were incapable of spitting poisonous acid as far as she knew.

Then disaster struck as she kept her eyes on the white snake an instant too long. The black one seized on her distraction, lunging at her for the kill, and out of an unconscious reflex she dropped her dual blades to the ground and tried to hold back the black reptile by the fangs. The force of the monster's attack pushed her back a ways with it as her boots dug into the dirt, and she held back the fangs with nearly all her strength. She was pinned, but not unprepared, as at least she made the smart choice of holstering her pistol when she first decided to save her ammo.

In a split-second her mind came up with a gambit to kill the snake: going in its mouth and shooting it from underneath its skull, but before she could act on it the monster's black forked tongue shot out and wrapped around her waist, catching her off guard to then drag her inside its mouth and swallow her whole. It lifted its head in triumph, but felt a double jolt of pain as two knives stuck out from either side within its body. The next thing it knew it started feeling its body heat rising fast until the King Taijitu's body exploded in flames. Both snakes screeched in agony as they were engulfed in fire from being both attached to one another, and moments later they fell into their death throes before collapsing into a heap, burning and dissolving away into the air.

From within the dissolving corpse, the Hunter broke out, unharmed and gasping for air, although all she breathed in was smoke which made her cough up a storm. It did not take much effort to climb out of the corpse, all covered in a slime which also started disappearing. Her entire body and attire were fine thanks to her Aura, but being in there had burnt half her Aura. She will admit it just this once, and let it never be said that this was her first time being swallowed by a beast, a snake for that matter, and simply burned her way out. She would also admit that it was rather traumatizing to be swallowed whole.

She turned around and extended her bare hand, sucking in all the fire and heat she needed to replenish her Aura. Now fully restored, she retrieved her blades, and once that was done she went in the direction of the temple.

Over a minute and a half later she was at the center of the temple, looking at the half circling row of pedestals that stood before her until her eyes laid on one pedestal in particular. There was a stone lying on top of it, and curiously she walked up to it to realize it was holding something down. She lifted the stone to reveal an ace of spades, a poker card. She lifted the card up with three fingers and inspected it. It seemed rather different than the others, its surface looked more laminated.

—-Back at Beacon cliff—-

"A poker card, really? Not some piece resembling the Hunters," asked Eileen.

"Yes, but this is not just any poker card," answered Ozpin.

"Really?" asked Glynda, now being a little more curious. "What's so special about this one besides the choice in card?"

"To be specific, I had that one made to be fireproof just for this occasion." That explanation made both staff members raise an eyebrow.

"How so? We weren't exactly expecting her to return home," asked Glynda. Of course, after working with him for a long time, she would know the obvious answer to that question, and the Headmaster often had himself to be quite the enigma.

"Well, it always pays to be prepared," he answered. Ozpin kept looking down at his Scroll, and as he was about to take a sip of his coffee, his eyes widened a bit at what was happening near the temple. "Oh my."

They were seeing this too with similar expressions on their faces.

—Back at the Temple—

"Relic, huh," she asked herself in amusement as she smirked at her little discovery. Her first objective achieved, she slid the card inside her coat pocket. "Well, time to head back."

She turned towards the forest, only to be halted in her tracks as her eyes widened a bit by the sight of a large, combined herd of Grimm coming out of said woods. There were beowolves, ursai, and also another kind of Grimm she hadn't encountered yet. It looked like a black demon hog with tusks, fangs and many plates of various size all over its body. These had to be the boarbatusks Quinn told her about, and if memory still served her, their strength lied in their armor and their ability to turn into a rolling ball of death, but their very weakness lied on their unarmored bellies. She would have to be careful when dealing with them.

More of the soulless monsters seemed to keep coming, and she also saw about four beowolf pack leaders as well as a couple Ursa Majors in their midst. This was not going to be any easy fight, and this also made her feel uncertain for once. Run away and try to outsmart them or simply stay and fight, those were the options running through her head at the moment. She ran the odds in her head: the first one was simply going to be nigh impossible, the second insanely hard. So, with renewed determination she went with the latter as she pulled out a steel arrow and transformed Simon's Bowblade. After all, she could get through this, right?

She aimed with her bowstring pulled far back and unleashed the steel arrow into the large crowd of Grimm, but it was not the crowd she was aiming for. She was aiming for targets that were more of a threat to her survival than these small fry, like the ursai and beowolf alphas. She knew the boarbatusks were also a threat, but they were shorter than the beowolves and could be hidden amongst the herd. She would simply have to kill them with her pistol up close or in full view.

The arrow went straight through an ursa's eye socket and through its brain. She released another steel arrow and took down another ursa, and as the whole herd went charging in loosely, she released one more steel arrow into a charging ursa before folding her bowblade back into sword form and onto her back, pulling out her Blade of Mercy and pistol and went into a combat stance, ready to take on the encroaching herd as they closed in.

She figured this battle would soon become jam packed with little to no room for maneuvering. A cold voice in her head warned harshly that she was not allowed any mistakes this time: any screw-up meant she would be gone for good. At least for now they were charging at her in the usual loose formation.

She expertly cut down the first beowolf that ran up to her by cutting its head clean off, and in fluid motion she stabbed the next beowolf in the heart and spun to cut the head off another.

She saw her first boarbatusk charging in to ram her where she stood while she had cut down two more beowolves. She quickly lined up the shot in a QuickDraw as the armored black boar closed the distance and put her .45 bullet right through its bone plated skull, destroying bone and splattering brain fluid as the beast skidded to a halt.

With the first one down, she went back to focusing on cutting down the wolves coming to tear her apart until another threat would decide to show up. She fought them off individually as she dodged and weaved through their attacks, cutting off their limbs and heads and stabbing them on the heart as she kept moving about, almost like a dancer on the battlefield. Before long she started using her Quickening ability to dash about on the hill she defended, the space between beasts beginning to slowly close in. After cutting down about thirteen or more of them she was greeted to the sight of another boarbatusk charging at her which she quickly put down in one shot with her Winter Hawk, same way she did with the first.

It didn't take long after slicing the heads off two more beowolves when she had put away her pistol and went for dual wielding mid fight was she finally surrounded on all sides by the black wolves. Instead of charging in all at once to overwhelm her, they all tried to tire her out by attacking her one at a time. She stood her ground as she sliced and diced each beowolf that came at her.

She did not break a sweat thanks to her aura, even after taking down ten more before a boarbatusk decided to turn into a rolling ball of death to try and knock her out. She saw this happening, and instead of shooting it she used the black boar's ability against it as she jumped over the speeding ball. The black boar kept on rolling as it barreled through the unfortunate beowolves, knocking them out of the way or outright killing them.

As she went back to killing more Grimm she thought to herself if she was even thinning the herd. It started to seem like they were endless, but that thought had to be put aside as two ursa majors appeared to decide to join in and end this fight. The beowolves surrounding her backed up to give the majors more room to fight, and Ella didn't have the mind to take her time with these brutes so she superheated her blades and held nothing back against them.

The first one on the left swung its large claws at her, but she slid underneath and had her blade cut through its left leg like a hot knife through butter, just nearly taking the whole limb off by its skin but enough to cripple it. The giant bear roared in pain, but Ella didn't stop there as she climbed up on its back. It turned in an attempt to shake the human off, but it fell to its paws when the nearly severed limb dangled and didn't land in the correct position. It nearly threw Ella off but she held firm, and when its partner attempted to bat her away she threw her weapon gripped hand up at the bear. A wrist sized fireball shot out of her hand, the disagreeable weakness she felt on her bowels warning her that she could not abuse the trick, and the spreading impact engulfed the monster in flames. The black and bone spiked monster flailed about in pain, trying to stop the flames to no avail due to its fur, and it was the distraction she needed to end the struggling bear beneath her by jamming both of her blades through its skull.

She turned her focus on the burning bear, a little surprised that it stopped flailing about and focused its fury on trying to kill her before it died. She moved out of the way of its lunge as the monster's claws slammed into the earth. She quickly folded her heated blades back together and pulled out her Winter Hawk.

The Ursa Major charged at her, striking and clawing with furious abandon, and to make her situation even more difficult, one of the alphas howled for the lesser ones to gang up on her. She activated her Quickening to move around more easily, cutting, burning, and while dodging the bear's fury. Luckily for her, the monster was too enraged to care about the rising casualties it caused around it as it tried to strike her down, making her job a little more easy. The burning monster soon showed obvious signs of weakness, it's attacks becoming more slow, sloppy and uncoordinated. She took an opportunity with a crazy idea as she jumped over a passing claw and onto its head. From there she used the head as a springboard to get onto its unburned spikes. The ursa tried to shake her off, but it was becoming too weak to successfully do so.

They did not seem high enough as her Aura kept slowly being eaten away by the licking flames, but it was close enough for her to use this burning beast as temporary fuel.

Holding her breath from the smoke and closing her eyes, she absorbed the heat of the blades back into her Aura and sheathed them away. Now, with a free hand, she pointed her bare hand at the Grimm and unleashed a fireball into the surrounding crowd. It took them all by surprise as she did this again and again, firing in random directions at the crowd, using the burning bear to refill her Aura and re-strengthen her Semblance. They were hesitant to reach her because of the flames of both the ursa major and her fire, and started backing away from their burning comrades as the impacts of the fireballs had spread through more than one Grimm, but those stupid and brave enough to try and reach her were met with being burned alive or with a bullet put through their skulls.

It was at this point the Grimm had begun to retreat and spread out even as their alphas commanded them to do so. They were still being assaulted by the fireballs she threw at them, taking down a few more. At the same time, however, the Ursa Major had finally ceased after succumbing to the fire which completely engulfed it.

She jumped off the disappearing beast, smirking at the sight of the retreating Grimm. She felt a bit proud of her handywork and rate of survival thus far, and now she had more room to fight on even terms. That thoughtful moment of triumph became broken, however, as she heard a booming flap from behind her. She turned to the direction of the noise, but she realized it was coming from above because with another booming flap, the smoke was pushed away by a downward gust of wind to reveal the biggest raven she had ever seen. It could far easily tower over her by thirteen feet, and its wingspan was incredibly wide. It had four glowing red eyes, two on each side of its head, and a crested white, bonelike head piece, designating it as a Grimm if the pitch black feathers weren't an obvious indicator.

She was told about these giant bird Grimm… and also remembered their ability with their feathers as the nevermore flapped its wings harder, this time unleashing a volley of razor sharp feather spears down at her, much to her widening eyes in surprise. She activated her quickening and dashed away from the feathers as fast as she could. She narrowly avoided almost all of them, except for one that nicked her in the shoulder as she passed by. Her Aura healed the cut on her shoulder, but the well she was tapping was almost running dangerously low, and she now had to remain wary of them.

Meanwhile one of the alphas looked up at the newcomer and, unfortunately for the Hunter, came up with an idea to put her down. It howled at all the remaining Grimm to attack her at once, and soon they all joined back in melee.

Ella saw this happening and at once she pulled out her blade and made ready as they came in. The closest were the Grimm coming in from the ruined temple as most of them were being cut down by the Hunter's blade and determination to survive, and also made sure to put down the two boarbatusks with her pistol. She figured this was turning out to be a trap, and when she glanced up at the large nevermore circling back around she knew what was bound to happen once it came back. She looked to the forest behind the temple, if she could reach the forest then the nevermore would not be able to get a bead on her. Luckily there was less resistance leading past the temple, so she made a dash for it, cutting down the few Grimm that got in her way.

She ran past the temple while the remaining Grimm were chasing after her. She was getting close, and when she turned her head for just a split second she saw the nevermore was flying after her, too. She even saw the alphas coming after her as well, but something was off. There were three of them this time, not four. Where did the other one go, she wondered with a sliver of fear. She turned back to the forest closing in, and just as she reached the edge at that very moment, a bulk sprang up from behind the bushes and swung its claw at her. She was caught completely off guard that she did not have enough time to react as she was smacked into the air, back in the direction of the chasing Grimm.

The impact was hard enough that it took almost half of her Aura. She looked at the fast approaching Grimm and she knew she would not last long against a pack so clustered together. So she threw away her blade and summoned a giant fireball, a desperate last-ditch effort that costed her almost all of her remaining Aura, grimly accepting that either she lived through this battle or she would die a quick, bloody death. She threw it at the Grimm almost point blank and the spread from the impact turned five of them, including an ursa, into screaming bonfires. The rest of the Grimm at once pulled away from their burning brethren, and Ella seized the initiative again, diving headlong into the pyre where the creatures flailed about in agony, to feed on the fire and so replenish her strength.

She drank thirstily from the fire as if she had been starved for water, her mind filled with the glow of triumph, basking in the glorious feeling of being still alive after freely going out to meet death and surviving the experience unscathed. She allowed herself one long second of bliss, then again noted the dangers around her, seeing how the beowolves prowled around the quickly dying flames, waiting for a chance—

But then, her concentration came to a sudden halt as a flashback and a jolt of pain made itself known. She saw an image of fire all over the place, being inside a building, and the screaming of a little girl brought a serious chill down her spine. That scream sounded like her for some reason.

What that did, however, was make her stop regenerating her Aura once she shook out of her stupor, and that three things happened.

1: the five burning Grimm were now dead and dissolving.

2: the Grimm surrounding her that were not burned alive all charged in to kill her.

3: she saw the nevermore in the sky, ready to fire another volley, even if it meant killing its own kin in the process.

She looked towards the oncoming Grimm and made a run for them, though she did not have to run far. She planned to use them simply as meat shields as the feather spears came down. Time seemed to slow down as the feathers pierced through flesh and bone, Grimm dying left and right all around her. Nearly none of the beowolves and ursa, not even the last boarbatusk, with its bone plates all over its body, were spared from the deadly sharpness of the feathers.

She narrowly dodged a couple of them, one even whizzed over her head, though a couple others managed to nick the sword on her back and her shoulder. Sadly her luck ran out, as a feather pierced through her left leg making her scream in pain and fell down on the ground.

Once the volley was done, she fought through the pain with gritted teeth and rolled over onto her back to assess the damage. She was not shocked to see that her Aura did not protect her from such a projectile, and she remembered experiencing her Aura being pierced through by makeshift harpoons made by those fish men. She had learned that night the hard way that Aura could not protect her from everything. With a firm grip with one hand she pulled the feather spear out of her leg with effort and pain, and her Aura halted the bleeding and started healing right away, but sadly at a slower pace due to the damage so she had to endure having a limp leg.

She saw that all around her, many of the Grimm were dead save for only very few survivors that were now coming after her just right after she pulled out the feather. A beowolf charged on all fours and Ella pulled out her pistol and shot it between the eyes. Her pistol's slider slid back, indicating the clip was empty. She ejected the empty clip and quickly slid back in another one as another beowolf came at her. She got up as the slider slid into place and she fired at the demon wolf, putting it down along with its brother. She saw an ursa coming toward her… well more like limping towards her as it's back and limbs were seriously pierced beep in black feathers. So she simply ended its suffering by putting it down with one bullet.

She looked around more to see that the alphas were the only ones left, and they definitely know she had been weakened. She did not have her Blade of Mercy with with her, having thrown out of her hands to summon her fireball, so she took the Bowblade off her back and made ready for another battle as she tried not to apply any pressure to her injured leg.

There was just one question nagging in the back of her mind. Between having to keep her injured leg from getting any worse, facing four alphas and a nevermore still flying overhead, how was she going to pull this off?

–––––––––––––––Back at Beacon cliff—-

The professors were grimly impressed with her display of handling herself well against a mob of Grimm, and believed that she would survive this initiation, moreso Eileen than the others, but once the nevermore came flying above the battlefield, things went from smooth to complicated from then on. They watched her fight her way towards the woods behind the temple, commending the beneficial idea of hiding under the canopy from the nevermore, but they knew it was bound to fail in a surprise ambush when they saw one of the beowolf alphas sneaking around the battlefield and into the woods while the Hunter was distracted. The Hunter never knew what was happening until it was too late.

The professors were then uncertain of her survival, especially since her Aura had gone almost dangerously low, but she made an effort to throw a fireball at the remaining mob and kneel amongst the burning Grimm to replenish her Aura. The professors felt like the odds had started turning against her.

Out of the three professors that were watching this dreadful development happen right before their eyes, Eileen was the one who was slowly getting worried. She knew to trust in her ability to handle herself as a Hunter, and she had proven that she could be resourceful and tactful against a mob of that size, but Ella had never faced monsters who took advantage of the air such as the nevermore. Which was why she wanted to make sure the Hunter stayed safe since she had no experience with flying creatures, but the rules stated no professor must ever interfere in the initiation. Plus she felt it would be unfair to Ella's pride in her profession.

Her regards to the rules changed as she paled seeing the nevermore unleash a volley of feather spears into the remaining mob with Ella in the thick of it. They were all shocked to see a Grimm sacrifice its own kin to try and kill just one Hunter as it almost succeeded in doing so. Now Ella's Aura had gone down to being dangerously low again, and with an injured leg her ability to fight had been hampered.

Ozpin looked to see Eileen's face become a mix of frustration and worry. He could see her fingers adding pressure to her Scroll and trembling, becoming evident that she would want to be down there to save her old friend and future pupil, but could not move an inch towards the edge knowing the rules. Eileen had told him Ella had a twin sister she had been hoping to see again one day, but seeing this new development made him believe that her wish may not come true at this rate after so long, and he would be damned if he were to let this happen.

So once again… he broke the rule.

"Eileen," said Ozpin as he had her attention, "go now and help her."

She silently yet urgently nodded, and as Ella began her struggle against the three alphas, she turned into a shadow crow and flew as fast as she could in the direction of the temple. The three professors could only pray that Ella could hold on long enough for help to arrive.

 **And that is it for chapter nine folks, I really hope I entertained you with this after making you guys wait, but I also do hoper I haven't thrown you all off with what I've written here. This took me quite a while to write this, and writer's block has been a thorn in my mind. Plus my first negative review didn't help much but make me doubt about my story. Thankfully, a friend of mine at work told me to just ignore that and keep going since the review I had wasn't constructive, so that made me ease my mind a bit. Also I was helping out CruxMDQ with his story, so that took a bit longer.**

 **Now you all have read a glimpse of a flashback, a memory of fire and pain. That was just half of a piece to the puzzle as to how her Semblance came to be, but for now you all will have to wait for the next chapter to reveal it all.**

 **I would like to give a shoutout to CruxMDQ for his amazing proofreading, suggestions and editing, but I would also like to give a shoutout to all of you readers out there for viewing, following and favoriting my story, leaving a review of what you think, as well as following and favoriting me of course. Over 17k views, that's something I never thought I'd see, and it's because of that I'll keep continuing my story until it's done.**

 **Sincerely, thank you.**

 **This is kyro2009, signing off.**


	10. Chapter 10

Bloodborne Twin Chapter 10

The four alphas stalked and growled around her, on the field of feathers, on all fours in the formation of a rotating square, waiting for one of their own to attack first at any moment. The nevermore did not join this fight, as it would have been detrimental to their need for sport, and a wanting for the satisfaction of tearing her flesh limb from limb.

The Hunter stayed low to the ground, leaning more on her right leg to relieve the pain in her left leg as her Aura slowly healed it. Her breathing remained even through the beginnings of the "waiting game" despite the pain. She watched and listened to the monsters prowling around her, her Winter Hawk half raised, ready to draw a shot if and when the beasts started coming at her. Her Bowblade remained lowered, but her grip on the handle was tightened, ready to use it if any of them would come too close.

Normally, four alphas would be a challenge she would take on with confidence, but in her weakened state it was next to impossible. She had gained a wounded leg from a feather spear, hindering her abilities to move greatly by about a half. Her Aura was again dangerously low, and slowly regenerating her wound put even more strain on it, leaving her largely unshielded from further injury. She only had one more clip to use, and even if by some miracle she managed to kill all four of them, she still had to deal with the nevermore, and she began to doubt she could ever hope to bring that giant bird down with whatever bullets she had left.

Luckily for now, she remembered that she had one more ace up her sleeve. She still had two unused bolt paper with her this whole time, so this would probably—

She had no time to think and had to do it quick, however, as she heard the first alpha coming at her from behind, kicking up and batting away the black feathers to reach her. She twisted her body around and fired twice at the monster, although she could feel the kick with each shot she made this time. She didn't take her time to fire accurately though as the first bullet went straight through its shoulder and punctured its lung, and the other left a mean scratch near its infernal eye and went straight through its other shoulder, but it didn't puncture the other lung. Surprising enough, the alpha ignored the pain as it swiped its claw at her. She jumped back, but felt the pain spike in her leg when she landed. Plus she landed closer to the other, and that unintentionally gave the signal for the second alpha behind her to lunge for her.

Just when she had put away her pistol and attempted to imbue lightning onto Simon's Bowblade, she felt something coming from behind her again. She instinctively ducked under a swipe as she slid the paper along the blade very quickly, and rolled to the right and out of the way of its bite. She fought through the pain, and with lightning flash speeds she pulled out a quicksilver arrow, transformed her lightning imbued bowblade and released the arrow towards its red eye socket—

The black beast turned to attack her, and the arrow punctured the left side of its chest, just above one of the bone plated rib cages. The second alpha shrieked in pain from the jolt of electricity that burned its left lung, and its breathing grew ragged as it was suddenly becoming very hard for it to breath.

The beast was stunned successfully, but sadly it was the only arrow left. She made ready to put it out of its misery—

She transformed her electric bowblade back into sword form as she ducked and rolled underneath the swipe of the third alpha behind her. She got back up and retaliated with a downward swing of her sword, cutting off its left arm and stunning the monster with both pain and shock. She had made ready to strike at it again—

She instinctively had to jump back and roll away from an incoming lunge from the fourth alpha when it jumped over its two wounded comrades. She got back up and charged at the fourth crouching alpha, but backed away as the others spread out, getting back into the square formation and circled her again.

Then she felt it; her aura visibly broke, indicating she had run out as the wound on her leg finally bled out.

—–––––––Meanwhile, in the air over the forest––—

Eileen, in her shadow crow form, flew as fast as she could over the canopy of trees as she raced for the battlefield. She once thought the Good Hunter could handle herself well enough, and she believed her, but deep down she should have listened to her gut, telling her she just wasn't ready. Now her colleague was paying for her overconfidence, and if she didn't get there soon…

She mentally shook it away and stayed focused. Once she reached the field, the first Grimm she would take down would be the nevermore.

—Meanwhile, near the temple—

'This is not good,' she thought as she shifted her eyes between the creatures again prowling around her. Her Aura was now gone, and the only thing dulling the pain in her leg was adrenaline. She could bet the alphas saw this, too, but they still remained cautious since they all saw the destruction of their horde, so it felt like a small blessing to her for the moment. She did not know what to do, she could no longer conjure fire nor was there a source of…

'Wait,' she realised as she looked down at her sword, still wrapped in a crackling sheath of electricity. Seeing this gave her a flashback to her fight with Darkbeast Paarl. Surviving that monster had taught her that lightning was simply pure energy that gives off heat. So when she had been struck by its lightning attacks, she absorbed it directly instead of manually.

She wasted no time thinking as she got ahold of the crackling blade with her gloved left hand. She gritted her to fight through the pain as the electricity lashed out and coursed through her wrist. Her Aura returned first as a boost of confidence, then as a soothing feeling and a surge of strength as her wound closed and energy flooded her muscles. Her left glove was burned away from the process, and her coat sleeve was charred.

The alphas stopped and looked at the human who suddenly caught them off guard, but then again they were reveling in her self inflicting pain, believing they were successful in making her suffer. Although she was giving some pain; looks can sometimes be deceiving. Then they had become surprised yet again but angered at both their arrogance and the human as they watched her body glowing a crimson red. This indicated that she had her Aura back. They all knew what they had to do; she must die quickly or else they would be obliterated.

The first thing she did before they all charged at her was superheating her still electrifying sword. She had never heated Simon's Bowblade for the main reason that it was larger and more taxing to her Aura to maintain its integrity, but since she had lost her Blade of Mercy in the fight she would have no other choice.

The third alpha, whose left arm had been cut off, came in as the first to reach her from her right, followed by the first wounded alpha from her left. She spun to the right and swung her sword diagonally upwards, cutting across the third alpha's chest. The monster was stunned from the shock and screamed in pain as the blazing-hot edge seared its flesh.

The first one pounced for the kill, but its assault was stopped dead in its tracks as a .45 magnum slug punched it on its chest. She moved in for the kill, her blade splitting its heart in half. _That's one down—_

She suddenly got slashed down her right side by the unharmed fourth alpha, just as the first one was killed. Her Aura took the blow, but now it was down to nearly a half and continued to drain. She pulled her sword out from the now dead and burning corpse—

The fourth one again slashed at her. She parried the blow with her blade and the monster's clawed hand was sliced off clean, a shower of sparks erupting as the remaining electrical charge shorted out.

As the soulless beast shrieked in pain from losing its hand, the Hunter got scratched again, this time from the second one, although the attack was not as strong as the first. Her Aura went down by nearly a quarter, and she retaliated by swinging her sword viciously at her attacker. It tried to dodge away from the sudden strike, but was too weak move back as the hot tip of the blade made a deep, cauterizing cut across its chest.

The third alpha already recovered from the initial jolt and tried to attack her again, but the Hunter saw it coming and, instead of standing her ground, she sprinted forward into its personal space and slashed at its belly. The cauterizing cut made the beast hunch forward in pain, but that was all she needed as she pushed the barrel of her pistol underneath the monster's jaw and pulled the trigger. The resounding bang sent the bullet straight through its insides and blowing out of the top of its skull.

 _That's two down…_

She moved away from the falling corpse and dodged away from a furious swipe from the fourth one. She saw the second one just struggling to stand back up, and like a predator seeing an opportunity, she sprinted toward her prey by first ducking underneath another swipe and then, with both hands clutching the handle tightly, she raised her sword up only to bring it down, chopping off it head.

 _That's three..._

She spun around, ready to cut the last alpha into smoldering pieces. She viciously swung her sword upwards, but an unexpected surprise happened when the alpha stopped the hot blade with its sharp teeth. This caught her completely off guard, and while trying to resist the urge to let go of the blade due to the burning pain, the alpha viciously shook the blade out of her hands and threw it aside while at the same it grabbed her by the waist with its remaining hand. It quickly lifted her up and threw her back down not once but twice before her Aura flared and dissipated, dragging her through the now featherless grass and throwing her underhanded, away from the alpha and the burning hot sword.

She flew about eight meters down the hill before rolling unceremoniously along the grass and stopping on her front. After that, she somewhat struggled to get back up, her face somewhat battered and dirtied, her outfit torn in a few places, only to just kneel on one knee. She looked up ahead and glared at the one armed alpha literally blocking the path to her heated sword. It was royally pissed, that much she could tell from the intense growling it was giving her. Then it began to crouch down, getting ready to pounce on her.

First she threw away her Blade in a desperate bid to buy time and refuel her Aura, and now this mangy bastard had made a bold move in taking away her superheated sword as it now lied on the ground, burning and damaging away the metal without Aura to keep it intact. She still had her pistol with her, but she did not release the clip, and it would take too long to reload because of her current state. She did, however, have one other trick up her sleeve; one she had never tried before, and the only thing that would help get her Aura back.

What better way to get it all back then by using this monster as a giant conduit.

She pulled out two throwing knives in one hand, and she pulled out the last bolt paper with the other. She slid the knives between the paper, and the imbuing was successful as the twin knives were wrapped in electricity. The knives were fully metal, however, and as a result the electricity lashed out at the edges of her coat sleeves and coursed through her hands.

As the alpha charged to finish her off, she got up growling with a murderous intent in her eyes, spent a small part of her regained Aura to activate her Quickstep and sprinted after it, holding her makeshift daggers in reverse grip. The alpha moved sideways mid charge and swiped at her, but she narrowly teleported left. She made ready to charge at it again, but she teleport backwards from the alpha's lunge. This time she sprinted toward it, and the monster did a backhanded swipe to knock her away, but she moved out of its way. That attack left it wide open for her to finally exploit as she teleported up close and plunged her electric knives into its bone covered chest.

The streaming bolts of electricity shocked the alpha nonstop, screaming bloody murder from the tremendous pain. The bolts lashed out at Ella's body, and like before she grunted and gritted her teeth as the electricity directly converted into Aura. Her Aura was halfway recovered, but she had not realized one thing about electricity.

The constant stream of voltage into the alpha's body had been building up to the point where it suddenly exploded. She felt the full force of the blast as if she were being hit by a freight train, and thanks to her regained Aura she was saved from the concussive blast, but it took all of her Aura away as she flew back. She soon slid to a halt on her back and stayed that way, feeling the pain all over her body. She coughed and moaned, being exhausted from her Aura being lost, and her adrenalin all but gone. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to get back up with all the sheer willpower she could muster. She eventually got on her feet with shaking legs, and she looked back at the dissipating, charred corpse… or whatever was left of it with a pained, leering expression on her face.

"I'm fireproof… too bad you're not." She willed her mauled body to walk, but it simply refused to work and she fell back onto her knees and hands. She tried to get back up again even though she was exhausted, but her eyes widened in fear from hearing the telltale signs of loud flapping coming from above. She flinched and looked up to see the nevermore again, rising from the woods where it watched. She had completely forgotten that it was still around the whole time, waiting for an opportunity to finish her off, and now she did not have the strength to move away and into the woods like she planned. All n all, she was doomed.

The nevermore screeched in imminent victory as it flapped hard to release its feather spears again, and as they descended down on her position, a thought raced through her mind as tears began sliding down from her eyes. She had failed her test, and knowing that no one would come to help her…

She will never see her sister again.

She looked down in defeat and shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Curious, she slowly opened her eyes. She grew confused from the lack of pain and, oddly enough, from the lack of sound. She looked up… and she gasped, her eyes widened in shock to see the feather spears halted in mid flight. They were just a few feet away from impaling her, and looking beyond them she could see the nevermore was in the air, as still as a statue, its glaring red eyes staring down at her. The noise all around her was all but gone, but she could still hear herself breathing. It was as if time and everything else had come to a sudden halt.

"What… happened," she asked herself softly. She could not hear her voice, but she could hear its echo. The sudden echo of her voice surprised her a little, but it did not stop the question that kept nagging her since she had first discovered this; did she do this?

 ** _"No, you did not."_** This new voice which came from nowhere startled her, but more than that it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand still. This voice spoke rather slowly, it was almost baritonal, ethereal even, and it sounded more like a female but with more voices that came with it. Like each word had power.

"Who's there," Ella asked as she frantically looked around her to find the source of the voice but couldn't.

 ** _"I am not here, only within your thoughts,"_** the unknown voice answered.

"Then… who are you?" She asked cautiously.

 ** _"You know who I am."_** She thought for a bit, trying to put things together on whatever she was… or whatever _IT_ was. Eventually, Ella did put two and two together, from the way she would not show herself, to its power behind every word it spoke.

Her eyes widened in realization and dread. "You're a Great One aren't you?" She was shivering inside. She could not believe this, a Great One being here of all places. Though she should not be surprised given how she had witnessed so much, but nonetheless she was shocked that something from Yharnam had followed her home. Ella's thoughts wandered towards the horrific possibility that perhaps it stopped everything so she could be taken back to the hunt. She did not want to go back, the very thought of being trapped there forever would have finally driven her mad.

 ** _"There is no need to fear,"_** the Great One responded after reading her thoughts. **_"I am the one who severed your contract and sent you home after all."_**

The response had given her quite the revelation in answering how she got home, but to also be told that it was she who severed the contract and not Gehrman's scythe? She would like to thank whoever this being was, if only because she was not feeling like she was at this thing's mercy.

"Then, what do you want from me!?" She asked, still being somewhat afraid yet curious enough in wanting answers. "Why did you save me!?"

The Great One, instead of answering her questions, she asked her a question. **_"I believe the more important question is; why did you stop?"_**

She looked on at nothing, incredulously at the question. "What do you mean why!? I've lost my Aura, I'm too exhausted to move…! I'm all out of options."

 _ **"You are not out of options, and it is because you have forgotten the obvious,"**_ the voice corrected.

She narrowed her eyes in more confusion. "What do you mean," she asked, this voice was starting to slowly frustrate her. It was giving her riddles to something she could not understand.

 ** _"The answer to what you have ignored is above you."_** Ella looked up at the clear blue sky, searching for what this voice meant when her eyes were locked straight at the summer sun. She was suddenly hit with a flashback, the images in her mind showed her, along with the knowledge of how to absorb the hot rays of the sun. After that, it hit her; it was the sun, and today was supposed to be hot, but this whole time the outside heat did not bother her because of her Semblance and just simply ignored it. She mentally hit herself for her ignorance, she had been hunting in Yharnam for too long, and the habit she had developed during the night stuck with her.

 ** _"You remember now, yet you cannot even remember your name… pity,"_** the voice stated, still with the same impassive tone. She felt insulted from the jab, implying to her inability to remember quickly. Before she could retort back, however, the voice continued. **_"Tell me, do you wish to see your sister again?"_**

She hesitated for a moment. The fact that a minute ago she was sitting here on the ground in defeat, and now this… whoever this voice was, saved her from a gruesome death and was giving her another chance to keep on living. She felt a little discouraged, but due to the circumstances which led to this moment, she was glad this happened. And so, she had decided to take the chance, to keep going to one day find her sister.

"...More than anything," she exclaimed.

 ** _"Then I shall give you one memory. A little gift to help you along the way."_** Ella wanted to question the voice on what the memory was, but was interrupted again when it continued. **_"Brace yourself, mortal."_**

'Brace myself for wha—,' she did not have the time to finish that thought, only an aching, painful pressure took its place. She shut her eyes tight, grunted in pain with gritted teeth and pressed the side of her head with one hand. It felt like something was slithering through her brain and tried to pull something to the surface forcefully. As soon as it came, a memory of personal knowledge began to surface. The intrusional pain soon went away after that.

 ** _"Now,"_** said the voice, **_"stand tall, and absorb the very energy from the very sky. Turn the sun into your weapon, and remember who you are."_**

As the voice spoke she slowly got up and stood on her two feet, stretched her arms out, and concentrated on her Semblance. The still heat from all over were quickly absorbed into her very being, turning into Aura and regaining her strength. She was somewhat in disbelief that this was working, that she should have remembered this before. None of that mattered now, however, she had her Aura back, and she rediscovered a way to beat that stupid bird.

 ** _"You may want to start moving soon,"_** the voice stated. She did not need to be told twice as she activated her quickening ability. As soon as time went back to its normal pace the feather spears rained down on her position, but she had already dashed away from it all and out of the nevermore's sight.

The nevermore meanwhile had looked down in disbelief at the spot where the human should have been. It wondered where the soul-bearing human went when it got struck from underneath its beak by a fireball, the blast knocking its head back and for the moment it struggled to regain balance.

"Hey birdbrain!" The nevermore positioned itself to look down at the human in anger. "Looking for me!?" The human mocked the flying Grimm, and unfortunately for her, it understood what she said and cawed furiously at her. It may be a soulless beast, but living a long time had made it smarter. It then dove down to catch her, but the Hunter ran into the forest and out of sight. It growled angrily after flying back up to the sky. It would have to follow after the prey's scent of emotions in order to soon kill her, and although its wings were currently in the process of regrowing new feathers, it still had other ways of slaughtering the human… or perhaps to devour her.

Meanwhile, the shadow crow that was Eileen looked at the scene in shock while in the air. She had just flew over the treetops to witness a weakened and helpless Ella about to be impaled by a hail of black feathers. She cawed out and flew as hard as she could in a hopeless attempt to save her. But then the impossible happened right before her very eyes. The Hunter instantly stood up in a flash and dashed away with such speeds, the likes of which she had never seen. She continued to watch as the nevermore, completely oblivious of the Huntress in disguise, furiously went after the Hunter from above the woods after the Hunter mockingly provoked the giant bird.

Eileen soon landed on the ground and transformed back to normal, all the while trying to wrap her head around what she had just seen. There was not a single Huntsman or Huntress in the world who could recover so quickly and get away in the blink of an eye. Ozpin might be the person to do it, but she hadn't seen him fight any Grimm ever since she worked for him. Perhaps she had a second Semblance she knew nothing about? Or maybe some kind of arcane ability from Yharnam she never heard before…? Or perhaps something otherworldly did happen.

Thoughts of those pressing questions aside, she did see from the video and from the fact that she did not recover either of her two weapons when she escaped to who knew where. She might as well recover them herself and bring them back to her while she was here, though she may want to avoid the burning hot sword until later on.

Ella ran through the woods with Aura enhanced legs, all while the nevermore circled about and followed her. She could have escaped and left the nevermore confused to complete her mission, but being a coward was not in her job description; she was a Hunter, dammit! She did not exactly have a plan at the moment, and for the most part she was just running aimlessly through the woods. Whenever she saw the nevermore in view, she would throw a fireball at it, always making a direct hit but never doing much damage much to her disappointment. It's as if the giant bird's feathers were made of steel. Luck was currently on her side for now, for the nevermore did not try to release its feathers down on her, even though she would just dodge them all anyways, but unbeknownst to her it was regrowing it's ammunition.

Eventually she came upon a clearing, and she looked around to see she was surrounded on both sides by columns of old, moss covered stone pillars, making this to be some sort of entrance. Beyond that was what would look to be an ancient tower, with the cliff wall far behind it… well, at first sight. Once she had reached the bridge, however, she soon discovered that it was a network of bridges connecting to various towers, and they all stood straight out from beneath the deep, dark canyon. Meanwhile the nevermore flew overhead, and it soon turned to perch on one of the tallest towers in the canyon, looking down to where the Hunter stood and cawing at her, daring her to make a run for the bridge. She shouldn't be surprised seeing that it did not do any structural damage whatsoever by being naturally lightweight.

She had to make a quick decision. She had figured the beast had turned the bridge she stood in front of into a death trap, but the giant bird was standing on a tower that was not adjacent nor connected to the one ahead of her, and it was a bit further off, so this might give her enough time to reach it if she were just fast enough. If she had stayed on this side of the canyon, it would have taken longer to form another plan. So she took the risk and gunned for it.

The nevermore saw she had fallen into the trap and flew off and around another tower adjacent to it. She saw the Grimm coming at her from her right, but to her horror it was not angling for her; it was aiming for the bridge. With the few precious seconds she had left she activated her quickening and dashed at the last second when the nevermore rammed right through the bridge, destroying one of her means of going back to the safety of the woods. She was very lucky to have made that split second decision, but now she was having second thoughts on how to take it down. It had just tanked a stone bridge with little effort, and if that did not stop it, then what could?

She went around the tower and saw that the next bridge extended quite far. To her, it was deemed as just too risky to take and turned around to see a staircase leading to the top of the tower. With little options left, she ran up the staircase, and as she went up, she tried to come up with a new plan. She could try to hit it with everything she had left, including her last clip, but would it really be enough? Unless… she had to kill it from inside, but how was she going to accomplish that? When she finally got to the top and saw the nevermore flying around the tower cawing, it gave her a morbid idea on how to do this, but a flashback to the king taijitu gave her a reminder that it might end badly. She shook that thought aside, they were not the same as far as she would know, and if by some miracle she got onto its back, she would be having one hell of a ride before trying to kill it.

There was no time for thinking. The nevermore was circling higher and higher, getting ready to strike, and she would better be ready. She reloaded her pistol and fired at its back. The bullets pierced through its feathers and hide and the nevermore cawed angrily, buying her some time she used to absorb the heat in the air through her other hand. The slider slid back to reveal she had completely spent her last clip, so she holstered her pistol away and got ready. Her Aura was now fully restored again. She knew what to do now, and the certainty filled her with confidence. She spread her arms wide and cried out to the nevermore in challenge.

"Come on!"

The flying beast heard her cries and obliged. It circled about and flew straight for her with its beak opened wide. Time seemed to slow down when she made the jump, her mind arguing that this would be suicide, but what other opportunity could she ever find than right now? She reached its open beak, and with quick reflexes she halted her progress through its mouth by pushing both her hands and feet against its beaked jaws. She used her right hand to conjure up her fire, and this time, she was not going to throw it down its throat, but rather she had something else in mind. With a growl she unleashed a stream of fire down its throat. The nevermore squawked loudly in both pain and agony as its insides burned. Of course, being this close to a screaming bird pained her ears, but she could not let it stop her from pouring more fire down its throat.

The monster, utterly consumed by pain, flew upwards towards the summit of the cliff wall, trying to shake the human off by thrashing left and right, but to no avail as she kept an iron hold on her position. It soon came to a halt, just over the edge of the cliff when it finally burst into flames and ceased to live. The Hunter noticed the beast had ceased in its struggles and knew that she had finally killed it, but the corpse was beginning to spiral downwards, and she looked back to see she was just over the edge. She quickly jumped out of there, and she fell twenty feet before having to land on one knee. As she stood back up, the burning nevermore continued to fall down the cliff and into the deep dark chasm, fading away as it lit up through the darkness.

Ella pumped her fists into the air as she cheered in triumph before falling onto her back breathing deeply, now completely exhausted from the use of her Aura and her survival as she stared up at the sky, her ears still ringing from its screeches. She had done it, she had killed her first flying beast, and it had taken a lot of effort to do so. Her eyes had begun to grow heavy, and she soon gave-in to the exhaustion and rested awhile.

It did seem to her, though, that instants had passed when a faint flapping roused her from her sleep, and a familiar voice soon followed after a moment of silence.

"You keep surprising me, Ella," Eileen said calmly.

The Good Hunter opened her eyes and turned her head to see the former Crow Hunter standing near her, with a soft smile and her arms crossed. "Sometimes I amaze myself, too," she replied, but then her eyes widened a bit and her eyebrows raised in question as she then pulled herself up to a sitting position. "Wait a minute, what are you doing here?"

She smirked, "Ozpin got worried, so he sent me in to help you deal with the Grimm," she answered half truthfully, "but it turns out you did not need the help after all."

"Well I… guess I was in a bit of a… predicament there." She rubbed the back of her neck as she laughed a bit nervously, "but all is well now, and I'm still in one piece."

"That's good to know, though I can't say the same for your attire." Eileen said this as she walked up to her to lend her a hand. She gladly accepted the help and was pulled up to her feet. She looked down and inspected her attire, and it was sad to say this outfit looked much worse for wear. There were several burn marks here and there, several cuts and tears, and it was all covered in soot and dirt. She even looked down at her right coat sleeve to see that it was burned away from the wrist up. To her conclusion, it was all ruined beyond hope.

She sighed. "Guess there's no way to fix this is there."

"And I know you haven't brought any extras with you." Eileen added that fact alone since they were walking back to the city. "After this is over, perhaps we'll find a replacement for you, and more."

"Yeah, that would be preferable." She looked away out of embarrassment for not having any more but the clothes on her back and the gear she carried. She then looked back and smiled at the offer, "thank you."

"Think nothing of it, but I'm rather curious. How did you manage to get up so quickly and escape that barrage of feathers in an instant?"

Ella paled, she did not know that she was there. Either that or they all saw through their scrolls what happened. She paused but for a moment. "...You were there?"

She nodded. "Yes, I was there, and as far as I know, there has not been a single Hunter in the world who could pull that off except Ozpin himself." Being a Hunter of Hunters in her former life, and being a Huntress in this one had given her a much better skill set and a much sharper sense, but it did not take two lifetimes of improving herself to clearly see just how uncomfortable and pale Ella was being after bringing up the subject. She could even see the very subtle stiffness in her posture, leading her to believe that something must have managed to spook _her_ of all people.

"Look, I apologize for bringing this up," Eileen said as she tried to reassure her, "but you mustn't be afraid to tell me. We're both hunters after all, and we both have seen and learned many things in Yharnam. Things that have defied all logic and nature."

"I…," she wanted to express her doubts, she wanted to say to her that there was a big difference between them when it came to what she experienced, but she was right about one thing; they were hunters. After a brief pause of thinking it over, she finally relented and sighed. "You know, I thought I had seen everything. I had been killing both mad men and beasts, learned the Eldritch Truth, and I even slaughtered seven Great Ones, all in one night. I thought I had become so desensitized to the point where nothing could surprise or scare me, and when it was all said and done and I returned home, all I had to fear was dying. Besides you and Iosefka, I thought that I had finally left it all behind me.

"But as it turns out it followed me home. Just when I thought I was going to die, everything stopped. And to my surprise and horror, it turns out a Great One saved my life of all the things that could happen. And do you know what's even more baffling than the rest? She spoke to me!" She spoke of this in exasperation, still being bewildered by the event which happened. "All I have ever known is that Great Ones never speak unless contacted by use of a phantasm, and since they tend to be sympathetic in spirit, they would sometimes act upon the person's wishes!" She stopped rambling when she looked at Eileen, the former Crow Hunter's eyebrows raised up in soft surprise, but to her confusion it could mean anything.

"You don't believe me, do you," she asked.

"I do believe you," Eileen answered calmly, "it's just that I'm surprised that a Great One would help you directly, and you are correct on the assumption that they never talk unless one uses a phantasm to contact them." What baffled her still was that it aided her out of kindness. They never interfered with mortal kind, and as such they were quite mysterious in their desires and motives. "What did it say to you? Was there a price to be paid?"

"She told me that she herself was the one who severed my contract and sent me home, and she gave me a memory to help me along the way. There was no price to pay whatsoever. Which still confuses me." She muttered the last sentence.

"Hmm." Eileen hummed in thought as she crossed her arms once more. Ella's answers only left her with more questions than answers. Although this did give her a definite answer as to how she got here, but now she began to ask herself "why". Why did this eldritch being send her and the others here on Remnant? The Great Ones were always mysterious in their motives, sometimes going as far as directly or indirectly being involved in the mortal realm, and if one were to try and figure them out; it would only end in going insane. So she simply pushed those questions to the back of her mind for later.

"This just leaves me with more questions than answers," Eileen soon responded, "but perhaps we can talk of this at a later time. Rightnow you need to complete your initiation."

Ella's eyes widened a bit in surprise as a thought came to her. "Oh that's right! Which brings me to ask why else you were here." She asked in a worried tone. If she were here, this could mean she had failed in her initiation, or perhaps this was something else.

"If you're thinking that you failed the initiation, then no." She answered for her. "Besides," she reached down and pulled out Ella's Blade of Mercy from her belt, flipped it once over, with the handle now facing her and handed it out to her. "I believe you will need this."

"Thank you," Ella said as she held the handle firmly and graciously had it back inside the folds of her coat. She noticed there was something else that was missing. "Wait, where's my bowblade?"

"You mean that hot sword that is still cooking on the grass by the temple?" She asked as she pointed her thumb in the direction of the temple.

Ella took a moment to process it, but then she instantly understood. "Oh, it's still hot, isn't it?"

Eileen nodded. "No need to worry, we can come back to the temple at dark when it's cool."

"Right," she nodded back.

"Well then, time to head back. Do you know the way home?" Ella looked around her and realized, to her small embarrassment, she had no idea where she was.

"U-um, do you know which direction?" she asked with an embarrassed smile.

"It's down that way," Eileen said as she gladly pointed her finger in the direction pointing southeast by south without so much as looking. "I will see you back at Beacon then." She transformed into a shadow crow and flew in the same direction she pointed. Ella still had that smile on her lips as she pulled her compass, readjusted the direction, and headed back towards Beacon Academy.

As she walked she thought back to the memory unlocked for her. She smiled when she discovered the memory was her full name.

It took an hour and a half of walking before finding a stairway to the top of Beacon cliff. During her travel back, she did run into only one pack of Grimm. They were simply easy to dispatch thanks to her rediscovery. Once she finally got to the top, she was greeted by the three same people who waited for her return. Eileen was there smiling at her triumphant return. Glynda's look was somewhat impassive as always, and Ozpin greeted her with the soft smile of assurance that she was okay… if not worse for wear that is.

"Ella, it is good to see you back in one piece," he said, "do you still have the relic?"

"You mean this card?" Ella asked as she pulled out the ace of spades from her coat pocket while walking up to him. She placed the card back on his offered hand, "here it is."

"Good work, Ella." He replied as he put away the fireproof card back in his coat pocket. "Now, I am proud to say that, as of this moment, you are now officially an assistant staff member of this prestigious academy."

"And as my pupil for the time being," Eileen added.

Ozpin nodded at her comment before turning back to face Ella. He extended his hand out to her. "Welcome to Beacon, lady Hunter."

Still with a smile, she gladly held the offered hand and shook it with no hesitation, thus sealing the agreement. But not without correcting him on the matter of her name.

"Fall."

"Hm?" He looked at her in a bit of confusion with a raised eyebrow. In fact, they all looked to her in question of what she meant.

"My last name is Fall," she specified.

Now both of his brows were raised. "Well this is unexpected, you remember your last name. Do you remember anything else, miss Fall?"

"Other than remembering how to harness the sun to refill my Aura, sadly no." She shook her head on the last part.

"I see; Eileen had informed me of the event which transpired at the temple. I assure you that our agreement still has not changed."

"Thank you, Headmaster," she bowed her head.

"Think nothing of it."

"Now, if you will follow me, miss Fall," announced Glynda, "I shall show you to your quarters, right this way."

"Of course." She followed Glynda back inside, followed by Eileen. When she nearly reached the corner, Eileen turned back to see Ozpin staring out at the expanse of the Emerald forest, with the June summer sun almost setting. She had worked with him long enough not to disturb what he was thinking, and soon went around to catch up with them.

Meanwhile Ozpin stared blankly at the landscape, thinking back to the events that happened. He was thinking moreso on Ella's initiation. He could tell she was graceful, calculated and resourceful like many Hunters would aspire to be, but she also had the cold hearted brutality of a killer, just like Eileen when she first attended his academy, and like Eileen, she would be reined in from following that path for long.

Then he thought back to her Semblance, or perhaps the strange foreboding behind it. She had used it with such brutal efficiency against the Grimm in a way that made him not want to think how many times she used it against the beastly citizens of Yharnam. What made it foreboding, however, was that he thought he had caught a glimpse of some kind of physical change on her skin. It wasn't the usual redness which he almost thought was the side effect of her Semblance as Glynda guessed, but it seemed darker, or like the skin was almost charred from being in the fire for too long. He might bet she noticed this, too, but she did not show any signs of pain. It could be that the stress of battle was the main cause of this change, or perhaps it was her emotions not being in check.

It did, however, bring him closer to answering his theory whether there was something wrong with her Semblance, or there was something wrong with her. He still did not have enough evidence to reveal the answers, but a long time of experience had taught him to be a very patient man, and the answers would one day reveal themselves one way or another.

Lastly, he thought about the incident at the temple. One where a Great One had suddenly intervened to save Ella. What could it mean he wondered, and why did it protect her of all people? Back before Ella arrived on Remnant, Eileen explained to him all she could about these eldritch beings, moreso that they were just as enigmatic as their desires and motives. He would have to keep a closer eye on the Hunter if he was to gain any more answers.

"What could this Great One's sudden appearance mean for the rest of Remnant I wonder?" Unbeknownst to him and the others, this event was just the beginning.

 **A/N: well, this took quite a long while to finish, but it's finally done in all its glory. The reason it took so long was because of writer's block, second guessing, research (and searching), and my lazy butt. The reason for the research was because, even though it's just fantasy and imagination, I just did not want to write off something that would have been completely outrageous. It's simply a habit.**

 **Ella finally reveals her last name, although you guys already knew that before the reveal because of the obvious dead giveaway in chapter 7. I would like to give you all an interesting fact as to why I gave Cinder a twin sister. You see, while I was reading information on Cinder Fall, I came across a curious trivia about her name. I learned that Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross made a joke that they "originally wanted to call her Cinder Ella." Then it hit me; Cinderella. Cinder and Ella. And that is how Cinder officially got her other half in this fic. Which, by the way, this universe is going to be slightly AU due to our favorite/hated villainess' backstory.**

 **Speaking of which, you all were also asking about when this story had been taking place. As I just mentioned in the last section of the chapter, it happens during the beginning of Summer before the start of Volume 1, and for that reason I will be calling chapters 1 through 10 as the prologue arc. As for the series, I've decided I will not be interfering with canon until Volume 2, although I will be introducing her to the main characters in the story. And don't worry, the other Hunters will show up sooner or later in their own way.**

 **I would like to thank CruxMDQ immensely for his Suggestions and beta reading.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

2 months, 22 days later

The sounds of melee combat echoed on the walls of the arena. The classroom itself was not particularly alive per se, and with the lack of a crowd to watch the training happen, it was just the two combatants fighting each other in this empty place.

It was a battle between teacher and student, both using their blades of mercy against each other. The rules were simple enough: fight until one of the contestants had her Aura dropping into the red zone. Right now it was the teacher who was finally (and as usual) gaining the upper hand after fighting for nearly forty minutes. Her student was getting fatigued from the long fight, her sweat being evident on her skin and soaked gym clothes. Her teacher on the other hand was just beginning to break a sweat.

The two circled each other once more, coming up with new tactics and waiting for one of them to strike. To the student, it was more like taking a short breather while she tried to think of what to do next. To her teacher, it was simply a matter of waiting for the right moment to strike. Then, after a minute of circling each other, they both dashed at each other and locked blades.

"Ready to call it quits?" Eileen asked with a leering grin, yet she knew it would never happen. Hunters were just too stubborn to back down.

"You wish," Ella replied deadpan, her teeth bared showing that she was trying to push past her limits. Her muscles ached in protest, but she simply tried to ignore the pain to keep going. Her training as a Huntress simply demanded she keep pushing herself.

Then they broke off, and this time Ella dashed in to cut her down. Eileen prepared herself to parry away her attacks and retaliate, but suddenly Ella did a feint and went around the teacher to slash at her sides. The surprise caught her off guard and she barely had enough time to stop the attack, and was only able to parry one blade while she got slashed by the other. She then dashed back and away from her, but was soon on the defense for a while as Ella pressed on more aggressively, trying to give her no room to fight back. That soon ended when Eileen started pushing back, and the fight evolved into an aggressive dance of blades and kicks, dodging and blocking.

But Ella had expended her last reserve of energy with that outburst, as her increasingly ragged breath let on, her once sharp and focused motions now sloppier and easier to anticipate, a fatal weakness against an adversary like Eileen. Her opponent pressed her advantage, Ella's rapidly degrading stamina leaving holes on her defences that Eileen easily exploited with slash after slash.

It was time to put an end to this lopsided confrontation, and Eileen did so brutally. She ran up to her, giving a kickflip to her chin, then went in and used both her blades to simultaneously slash her twice in the stomach. She ended it with a roundhouse kick to her face and Ella spun to the floor, her blades fallen out of her hands as she fell. A buzzer went off, signaling that her Aura was now in the red and the match was over.

She lied on the ground panting heavily, and what little Aura she had was slowly recovering her stamina. She had lost again for the twenty sixth time, but that was not a surprise to her, considering she was being trained under a Huntress whose experience was that of being one and a half life-times higher than hers. Plus, the fact that she no longer had the 'blood' running through her veins meant that she had to start growing stronger again from scratch, and this time it was going to be the Remnant way. Ella may be powerful in her own way, but compared to the Hunters of Remnant, she was a rookie. She could hardly fault her teacher.

"That was excellent, Ella." Eileen complimented as she walked up to her. "You had me on my toes for quite a while. And we kept this up for over forty minutes no doubt." She folded her blades back to their original form, and extended her hand for Ella to grab. "You even made me break a sweat."

Ella accepted the compliment with a frustrated scowl. "'Almost' having you doesn't cut it. However close, in the end I'd be equally dead." She accepted the offered help and was pulled back onto her feet.

When she first fought Eileen in this very arena, she told her to hold nothing back against her. That literally turned out to be the biggest mistake she had ever made, but one she was bound to learn, one way or another. Within six minutes Ella was down on the floor in defeat by the full force of Eileen's skill and power, showing just how flawed she was without the blood.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," Eileen admonished her. "You still have a ways to go."

That could be true, but Ella had a feeling it may not be much longer. She scolded herself: she had better uses for the time spent whining."So what's next, Aura training?"

She shook her head. "No, not this time. Today is the start of a new school year. The students both current and new will be arriving by airbus soon, so you will need to make yourself ready."

Ella audibly sighed at the reminder. She had been educated by the staff members as best they could throughout the near three months she had been here to be acclimated into today's society, and also to be prepared to educate the students coming here. That was what bothered her, she had never saw herself as an educator and more of a Hunter. Although those experiences would help her in Grimm studies, and her keen eye to combat would be beneficial. It's the masses of students staring down at her that would be the problem.

"I understand that you are nervous about this, but trust me when I say that you'll do fine. Just have faith in yourself." She patted her on the shoulder. "Now then, let's get cleaned up and call it a day."

Ella nodded, although the uncertainty still lingered within her thoughts. After she gathered her blades and folded them back to their first form, they headed to the locker rooms.

—line-break—

After spending their time in the showers, Ella came out with a towel wrapped around to cover herself and another towel to cover her lengthened hair.

Some three months back, Iosefka had asked her why her hair had to remain short. Of course Ella had no clue since she had yet to remember the reason, and so the good Doctor/Head Nurse of the medical wing regaled her of her time on Earth. Whenever she saw short hair like hers, it always reminded her of a ridiculous yet deadly superstition the village folk made up out of fear during the plague. They believed that witches were responsible for the plague, and the only way to tell who was a witch was by seeing their beauty and their long hair. This misconception had the zealous individuals convinced that no common woman should ever be this beautiful during those dire times except for the royalty. Once suspected and accused of witchcraft the people would burn them at the stake. And so, when the girls who lived in towns and villages came of age looking like beauties, their parents would either cut their hair short or make them look ugly.

This unfortunately did not give the Good Hunter any flashbacks, but at least it gave a plausible explanation for her short haircut. Plus it could be the reason why she wore the mask in the first place. Her mind made up, Ella had decided that, since the world of Remnant was more modern and not as dangerously superstitious as Earth, she would let her hair grow.

Eileen came out behind her as they went to their separate lockers. Ella opened hers and unwrapped the towel around her to dry herself off more. Then she proceeded to unwrap the towel off of her head, and her long hair cascaded down to her bare back. Her hair had a few strands sticking out as curled spikes, and the end of her long hair curled halfway. She grabbed a small elastic band, gathered her hair to the back of her head (save for a couple strands which hung loosely over her forehead), and proceeded to tie her hair into a low ponytail. It was simply done so that it would not get in the way in combat.

After taking her time changing into her new Huntress attire, she stood up from the bench and checked her outfit for anything out of place. It consisted of a black form fitting vest zipped all the way up to cover her modesty, with a light laced tank top worn underneath it. Fire dust-infused, elbow length, black fingerless gloves dressed her arms, with Hunter bracers strapped to her wrists salvaged from her former attire. She wore black form fitting combat pants, and two dark gray, ankle length coat tails attached to her vest which covered her backside and wrapped over halfway around her waist, further held in place by a dark brown leather belt, just in case. Her combat shoes were high-heeled and knee-high, strapped with shin guards that had also been part of her original Hunter outfit.

Now fully dressed and with nothing out of the ordinary, she grabbed the last accessory out her locker; her old white mask. Quinn had told her to simply leave the mask behind, explaining that she had no need to hide herself from the crowd anymore. Plus, her time in Yharnam had made her see it as just an accessory to her attire than as a means to hide herself, and more recently she had used it to put on an intimidating appearance when going on Eileen's nightly bounty hunting in the city of Vale. She decided to strap the mask to the side of her belt and was done.

The first time she went out shopping for more clothing, she had been accompanied by one of the students who had a great sense for fashion. That was how she came to wear such a unique outfit, much to her reluctance, and the best thing about everything she currently wore… they were all fireproof. The reason for such a modification was because of an incident in one of their nightly hunts, and her initiation.

"Don't forget to change into your other attire. After all, today is the start of a new school year." Eileen reminded. Ella turned around to see Eileen leaning against one of the lockers in her Crow Hunter attire.

"Yes, I know," she replied.

Her Huntress attire was not the only clothing she bought. Besides the Huntress attire, she had to buy more clothes to get by, such as the casual clothes and the attire necessary for the school's prestige. Since she was still used to the more sophisticated style of fashion which came from the Victorian era, she acquired a few clothes suitable to her tastes and status.

Ella sighed audibly, having her hand holding firmly onto her left arm to try to relieve the worry that was growing. Eileen, with her keen eyes, saw this, too and knew what she was thinking about. "It's still about attending school, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's just that… I know that I signed up for this, even though it's so I can find answers to my past. But the thing is; do you really think I can do this? I never was one for teaching."

Eileen chuckled at her uncertainty. "You'll do fine, Ella. You simply mustn't overthink it. Think of this as more of a test. Now…," she pushed herself away from the lockers. "I believe we've dawdled long enough in here. It's time to get ready to meet the new students."

—line-break—

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" The newly arrived, messily blond haired Huntsman-in-training explained, defending himself. He was quite tall and toned, having strong muscles in his arms, shoulders and upper chest, and had blue eyes and pale skin. He wore a white diamond-shaped chestplate cut off above his lower abdomen and white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. Underneath the armor, he wore a black short-sleeved hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves. He wore blue jeans with a white patch on the left knee, as well as black sneakers. He also had elbow guards with cords strung through them and he wore black high tops.

He had two belts crisscrossing his waist, both different shades of brown, with a pair of small pouches on them. Jaune wore brown wrist-length gloves with exposed fingertips and small metal plates over the back. His sword was strapped to his left hip in a sheath.

Currently the two were walking along one of the outer rings of the inner courtyard, away from the docking area.

"Look, I'm sorry Vomit-boy was the first thing that came to mind." The girl accompanying him apologetically said. She was a fair-skinned young girl with silver eyes and black, neck-length, choppy hair that gradually turned into a bloody dark red near the tips. She wore a long sleeved thick black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a black skirt with red trim. She also wore a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trim around the top and red soles.

Her outfit was topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. Her emblem appears as a large silver brooch in the shape of a rose and was pinned to a wide black belt slung around her hips on an angle, which also carried bullets and a pouch. She also had a red compacted weapon hidden behind the small of her back underneath her cloak.

"Oh yeah, well what if I called you "Crater Face"? He taunted.

"Hey, that explosion was an accident," she argued, referring to the explosive incident which had happened back at the courtyard. It involved the girl falling over a cart of Dust cases, a crabby rich girl whom the cases belonged to, and a case which had some loose jars of Dust. After the explosive plethora of lightning, ice, and fire, it was sad to say the poor girl made an enemy out of the crabby girl in the span of a minute.

"Well the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!" The boy Jaune introduced himself with pride.

"Do they?" She asked nonplussed.

"They will! Well, I hope they will... I mean, my mom always says that… heh heh. Nevermind."

She chuckled nervously to that, but then out of desperation she wanted to change the subject before the silence got more awkward. "So, I have this thing." She pulled out her compacted weapon, and by the press of a button, her weapon began to extend and transform into a scythe that was much bigger than her as she embed the tip of the scythe into the brick path. The act had caught Jaune off guard and jumped in surprise at the sight of the large weapon.

"Whoa! Is that a scythe!?" Jaune asked as he pointed at the scythe in both surprise and a hint of fear.

"It's also a customizable, high impact velocity sniper rifle." She explained in detail as she lifted her red sniper scythe with little effort. For a 5'2" lithe looking girl, she seriously had quite the hidden strength.

"A wha-?" Unfortunately her brief explanation was wasted on Jaune.

She cocked her sniper scythe just to get her point across. "It's also a gun."

"Oh. That's cool!" He exclaimed.

"So what've you got?"

"Oh-uh, I got this sword." He said as he pulled the sword from his white and gold sheath. The sword had been well maintained as it shined under the sun, and razor sharp by the look of it.

"Oooooooh!"

"Yeah, I've got a shield too!" He added as he pulled out the sheath and it detracted into a shield, bearing his symbol which showed two crescent moons.

"So what do they do?" She asked as she felt compelled to reach out and touch it. Suddenly by touching it, the shield malfunctioned and retracted and detracted into a sheath and shield again and again, making Jaune struggle to get a grip on it until it fell to the ground. Once he finally had a hold of the sheath, he detracted it into a shield again to demonstrate.

"Well… the shield gets smaller… so… when I get tired of carrying it… I can just... put it away."

The weapons fanatic, however, saw a flaw in that logic. "But wouldn't it weigh the same?"

"Yeah, it does." He answered in defeat of the flawed logic behind it.

"Well, hehe, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons," she explained as she looked at the weapon of her creation. "I guess I did go a little overboard in designing it."

"Wait. You made that?"

"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

"It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war." He explained this as he looked down solemnly more and more. When the girl was seeing this happening, she tried to cheer him up in her own way.

"...Sounds more like a family heirloom to me! Well I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah. The classics." He muttered as he slid the sword back in his sheath.

"So why'd you help out back there, in the courtyard?"

"Eh, why not? My mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Hmmmm…" She pondered in thought about the wisdom in those words, and it might be something she could get behind at some point. Then a dawn of realization had suddenly come upon her when she looked up. "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know, I was following you." Jaune answered, they both looked around for anything that would show them where they currently were… but to no avail.

"You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark?" He kept asking her as she tried to hold in her laughter yet barely. "Is uh… is that a no?"

She chuckled, "that's a no."

He sighed in defeat yet again. He looked around more, hoping to find someone with directions to the amphitheater until his eyes caught sight of a woman walking by. She had pale white skin and ashen black hair tied back into a low ponytail, but he could not see her eyes for the most part. She wore a buttoned up, crimson colored swallow tail trench coat. She wore black pants along with white socks and black heeled shoes. She had her hands behind her back as she walked by.

"Um excuse me uh, Miss?" He called out as he waved his arm to get her attention. His sudden calling startled her somewhat, as if she had been broken out of her thoughts as she turned her head to face them. He could now see what he guessed were bright amber eyes. She looked to be quite a beauty, he had to admit, but whatever flirtatious impulse he could have died on the spot as he figured this woman was in another whole league. Unknowing to the two however, the woman they found was none other than Ella Fall herself in her civil outfit. "Do you know where the amphitheater might be? We're kinda lost!"

The woman paused for a bit before responding. "You two must be the new students, correct?" They both nodded silently. "I see. Please follow me, right this way." She obliged in kind as she gestured the way and went in said direction. The two ran up to her and kept pace behind her as they silently walked on the path.

For a while the three remained quiet, and since they had come this close they could clearly see in better detail that her coat was embroidered in a sophisticated design. Perhaps she was one of the teachers, but they did not know for certain.

"Say," said the woman, attracting their attention and dispelling the silence, "what do you two think of this academy so far?"

"It looks great here," Jaune answered first.

"It's much better than the view of Vale, I think," Ruby answered a little nervously. "It's like a castle pulled out from a fairy tale."

Ella giggled at her answer, for she had thought the same thing when she first came here. "My thoughts exactly, and what are your names if I may ask?"

"I'm Jaune Arc."

"I'm… Ruby." She answered to the woman rather hesitantly, only saying her first name. After stopping a Dust robbery in downtown Vale a week ago (which got her to be accepted into Beacon two years in advance by Ozpin himself), she did not wish to be seen as special but rather she just wanted to have what she called "normal knees." Suddenly the black haired woman stopped in her tracks as did the other two. Ruby grew more nervous, did she see the news of what she did? What if she praised her? The questions raced in her head of the possibilities of embarrassment.

Ruby was right in assuming that she knew about her. Ella's eyes widened a little in surprise in hearing the girl's name. She had heard about the girl on the radio a week ago. The little reaper wielding a giant scythe who took down the criminals conducting the robbery with no one to back her up. Although she did not catch the mastermind behind the robbery, to her it was quite a feat for a fifteen year old girl. Seeing her on school grounds two years early, this made her believe that Ozpin was involved in this arrangement.

The woman turned to face her, with raised eyebrows telling the little scythe wielder that she knew. "You mean as in Ruby Rose? The one who stopped a Dust robbery in Vale all by herself?"

Jaune looked at the girl in amazement of this new information. "Whoa, you actually did that?"

"Yeah, it was nothing." She chuckled nervously under the praises, but started to feel the pressure as she rubbed the back of her head.

The woman scoffed. "Nothing? I believe you should be proud of what you have accomplished. Not many young hunters at your age would have stepped in bravely to help."

"Seriously, stop! Can we please move on to something else?" She gave-in to the pressure as she said this and lifted her hood up to hide the red embarrassed blush on her face. Ella looked down at her in a bit confusion, until it soon dawned on her. She had to endure such praises as well, telling them that she was just doing her job. Now, she was the one who was embarrassing the poor girl, a Huntress-in-training who was simply doing what was right.

She placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder with an apologetic smile. "Look, I'm sorry that I embarrassed you like that. I'm sure you were doing what you thought was right, right?"

She nodded, still having her hood kept on. "I just don't want to be treated like I'm special or anything. I just want to be seen as a normal girl." She tapped the tip of her boot against the brick floor as she said this. Now Ella was understanding more on what she wanted; to be treated as an equal, not as someone higher than them. Of course, she also figured out that the little girl was just socially awkward.

"Trust me, I know the feeling." Ruby looked up at Ella, seeing the woman in an assuring smile. "When I started as a Huntress, I tend to get praised a lot for the deeds I've done. It did tend to get embarrassing with all the positivity, and I've always told them that I'm just doing my job. Even to this day I'm still trying to get used to it." Although what Ella said was only half the truth, but she could tell she got Ruby out of her embarrassed state somewhat.

"Now as for the fear of being treated as special." Ella gently grabbed hold of her hood as she slowly lowered it down. Ruby did not even protest against the act as she continued to listen. "Well you don't have to worry about that, because here in this academy, there is no such thing as social status among students… well, technically there will be differences in combat status." Ruby started looking a little uncertain, but the woman continued on. "But, no matter what grade you'll be in, everyone must treat each other as an equal, so you'll be able to fit right in. It's going to be a tough school, I will be honest with you, but know that you will not be alone in this."

Her words made Ruby smile, being reassured that she would do just fine with everyone. Jaune, however, became a little uncertain of himself for some reason. Before they continued on their way to the amphitheater, there was something on Ruby's mind which she needed confirmed since the woman had brought up her career. She could have sworn she had seen her likeness on television.

"You really are a Huntress?" She asked in wonderment.

"Of course, my name is Ella," was the earnest answer. "I hear some call me the 'White Mask.'" She had been given that name because of the white kabuki mask she always wore during her nightly hunting with Eileen.

"White…!" Ruby gasped after muttering the nickname, her eyes going as wide as saucers. She then got all starry eyed as she remembered her for being partners with the infamous "Crow Huntress." She also remembered her by another nickname from a viral video she saw on MetaVid months ago; the old fashioned Huntress.

"Oh my gosh you're the Crow Huntress' partner!" She exclaimed hastily in growing excitement until she could no longer contain it. "This is AWESOME!" She screamed the last word as she jumped with a wide smile on her face, her fists clenched and close to her chest. "Can I have your autograph, please, please, please!?" She looked up to the Huntress with puppy dog eyes as she begged.

Now it was Ella's turn to be embarrassed as she chuckled at the young girl's adorable demeanor and look. Quite the innocent karma on her part. "I suppose I deserved that, but yes, I would love to. Do you have a pen and paper?"

Ruby reached into one of her lady pockets and pulled out a pen and a small notepad for her to write. She kindly took the pen and notepad and wrote her nickname in cursive. Once that was done she gave them back to her fangirl as said girl then clung the notepad close to her chest.

"Oh, my friends are gonna be so jealous when they see this!" Ruby said giddily as she lifted herself up and down in her black combat boots.

"Jeez, fangirl much?" Jaune asked jokingly after witnessing the adorkable scene. The joke made Ruby realize what she just did and laughed it off out of embarrassment for the act. Of course, it did cause a chain reaction, making them chuckle in response.

"Sorry about that," Ruby chuckled apologetically.

"Well, as much as I have enjoyed our conversation," said a smiling Ella, gaining their attention, "I do believe we have an amphitheater to head to. We don't want to be late for the welcoming announcement." She added as she finally started walking in the direction to their destination. They soon caught up and followed behind her, though it did not take long as they soon came upon the one section of the academy which designated as the amphitheater. The structure itself looked grandiose, befitting the architecture of the school, with a full circle of fence like columns built inwards like an unfinished roof on the top the building.

"Here we are," she announced as they soon came upon two side doors which were already opened for the three of them to pass through. The inside of the place itself was just as grand and modern, befitting of such prestige. As Ella walked on by while the two future students were going to look about, she heard someone calling the scythe wielder's name out from within the throng of students.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" All three looked to see a tall, bright blonde haired girl waving at Ruby, gaining the young girl's attention to come over. She was fair skinned with lilac eyes. She wore a tan jacket, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this she wore a low cut yellow crop top with an emblem on the left breast in black. She had an orange infinity scarf wrapped around her neck, and had black fingerless gloves. She was wearing some kind of yellow bracelet, but to Ella, there might be more to its appearance than meets the eye.

That was all she could ever see of her amongst the people, though, and her emblem was rather blurry from where she stood. She could only hazard a guess that it was some kind of heart. A bit comical to her, and that her outfit seemed questionable, but she was not one to judge in this day and age.

"Oh! Hey I gotta go!" Ruby said as she turned to Jaune. "I'll see you after the ceremony!" After that, she left Jaune to join up with her older sister.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune said to try and stop her, but was already too late when she left. Now he was all alone with no one else to talk to. "Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?" He whined as he went somewhere amongst the crowd. Unknown to him, there was a curious, red haired girl who overheard him and watched him walk by.

Ella, meanwhile, was going about her way through the less crowded back area and stopped right next to a pillar as she scanned the crowd. To her eyes, nearly none of these arrivals could ever live up to the expectations of a Hunter, but she knew better than to pass judgement right away.

Suddenly she heard Ruby's scream amongst them, and looked to see that she seemed to be getting scolded at by a pale skinned girl, with long white hair pulled back into an off center bun tail and pinned with an icicle shaped tiara. By the all white clothing she wore, and with the obvious white hair, this girl must be from the Schnee family she had read about. The Schnee Dust Company, run by its family name, were the largest producers and exporters of Dust in the world, although she also read that they were very controversial or infamous for their business practices. It did not take much to realize this girl was the heiress Weiss Schnee, though why she was here to be a Huntress was a mystery to her. Why she was bothering Ruby would have to wait as the Headmaster was walking up the stage to the mic to give his speech. Glynda was also with him on the stage, standing by as he made his, and what Ella was about to hear was not something she would hear from the man himself.

"Ahem… I'll keep this brief." Announced Ozpin. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With his speech done he walked off the stage and was replaced by Glynda. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins."

And with that the students began to disperse, wandering off to explore more of the academy. Ella was looking at the stage, speechless of what just happened. This was not the Headmaster she knew for the near three months she had spent here. He sounded like he was not there, or perhaps was disinterested. It seemed quite discouraging to turn away potential students like that, but then she thought, maybe there was something else to it. Perhaps this was his way of testing them. She would never know if she asked, and so she pushed the thought aside and left to wander the halls in search of something to do.

—nighttime—

Night eventually came, and as the students gathered into the ballroom for the night. Ella, after wandering about greeting several students, visiting the library and helping a few teachers prepare for classes (simply put to kill the rising boredom), finally returned to her living quarters. It was spacious enough and very cozy, it had a kitchen to her right and a dining table with four chairs placed in the middle between the living area and the coat closet. The living area was next to the kitchen; it had a couch, a nightstand next to it with a lamp, a glass coffee table in front of the couch, two bookshelves on either side almost half filled with books, and a device attached to the wall that, when turned on, acted as her television. To her left around the corner was a short hallway with a door on either side. The one on the left led to the bathroom, and the one on the right was her bedroom.

She closed the door behind her, locked it and went about preparing for bed. She took off her heels and set them aside. She took off her trench coat and hung it in the coat closet along with three other coats. She then went down the hall and opened the door to her bedroom. It was spacious enough to move around in, with a desk on one end and her single sized bed on the other. It also had a nightstand placed next to the bed with her alarm clock. She took off her undershirt revealing her black bra and went about changing into her pajamas. Fitting snugly in her black tank top and pajama pants she discarded the small bundle of clothes into a basket for laundry.

She tucked herself in under the comfortable sheets and stared up at the white ceiling, her mind still lingering about the events of today. First was the training she had been going through with Eileen. She was so graceful yet powerfully deadly with her Semblance compared to her, and the proper training she had received had made her stronger in both skill, physical tone and Aura, but she still had a ways to go before getting the better of her, that she knew from experience. Plus, the advice Eileen had given her to do well in this academy was somewhat helpful. She still was not sure of herself to be near them, but she was going to have to in order to be mentally better.

Then there was the chance meeting with the little reaper named Ruby. It was not everyday she would meet someone so full of innocence yet ready to do what was right, even in the face of dangerous odds. Sadly, her eyes had yet to see the horrible reality of this world, but at least, or perhaps hopefully, this school would help her be prepared for what was to be expected of her.

Of course that Jaune fellow, on the other hand, was… well rather lacking much to be blunt. By just the look of him, her Hunter senses told her that he did not seem physically or mentally ready for this sort of education. It was like he transferred here with lack of any training. By all rights he did not belong here, and why Ozpin would allow an untrained grunt to be here was another mystery. Perhaps she would have to wait and see what he could offer to the table.

Admittedly, meeting those two had made her feel… normal to be fair. It was the sort of feeling which helped her in times like these, especially for her condition. Simply put, it was being with sane people like these children, people who would not harm one another out of insanity, which helped her cope with her condition. It was one other way of keeping her sanity intact during the hunt by talking to the survivors she sent to Oedon chapel.

Then her mind wandered back to the speech Ozpin made. It still did not feel right with her in how he spoke, like he was trying to scare them away rather than encourage them. She once asked one of the teachers if he had made that speech before, and they did say yes, but they could never explain to her why. Even after nearly three months she thought she knew Ozpin well enough, but then he made himself a mystery to be solved one day yet again.

Her mind all but spent, the comfortable silence and the bed itself soon started to make her eyes feel heavy. Soon they were closed and she fell fast asleep.

—line-break—

 **A/N: To be honest, this did not take me as long as I thought it would, but it did take a while with the beta reading. I really do hope I got the dialogue between Ruby and Jaune right, so please let me know what you think. The only thing I would complain about in this chapter is the lack of information on Beacon's layout. I really had to look at the available pictures, which were bits and pieces of locations in front of and around Beacon to know just where Jaune and Ruby were. Of course, it was really hard to know where exactly the amphitheater was. You would think that Roosterteeth would have made a map of Beacon for all of us to know but they didn't. My only guess is they only focused on the characters more than the locations. Heck, it was the only problem writing this fanfic.**

 **Anyways, what do you think of Ella's new outfits? I figured that since Ella is back in Remnant, she might as well look the part… to her reluctance that is. As for her civil attire, I'll say that since she had been in that world for so long she simply got stuck with the whole gothic/Victorian charm, so I hope you like it.**

 **I know that there was less action in this chapter, and there is going to be less so in the next** one. **Well, this is the first volume of RWBY after all, but at some point I am going to be introducing a certain Hunter to Ella… directly.**

 **I would like to give a shoutout to CruxMDQ for his beta reading and suggestion, and DocHoliday0316 for his beta reading.**

 **Anyways, this is kyro2009, signing off.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **A/N: This following chapter contains a lot of dialogue.**

 _The luminous broken moon flooded the streets of Vale with pale radiance, something Ella had not expected as she walked along the sidewalks. Everything was eerily quiet. There were no people, no cars, and all the lights were out, save for only the trail of lit street lamps that Ella walked under. She did not know for how long she had been walking, simply following instead wherever this trail was leading her to._

 _At one point, the path took a turn around a corner, and she froze in her tracks. A figure stood under the lamplight. She wore an exotic red dress, her skin was fair, and her hair was ashen black and cut back at neck length. Two heels arranged to form a diamond-shaped keyhole were tattooed on her upper back._

Who is this woman?

 _Slowly, she walked up to her. Time seemed to stretch as she approached her, each step slowing everything further, and also adding to a sense of foreboding growing inside her chest. An evil but familiar aura seemed to radiate from her, in a fashion similar to something she had experienced back at the Emerald forest, except for the foreboding that had now changed into dread._

 _But she could not let that stop her._

 _Time had stretched on to a near-eternity before she had gotten close enough to reach out and touch her, but now she was there, and she reached out. Shakily. Her heart racing in her chest, screaming at her to run away. But her curiosity was stronger, overcoming the terror._

 _Her trembling hand clasped onto the woman's bare left shoulder. There was a soft, startled gasp, and as Ella gently spun her around–_ **Beep! Beep!**

Line-break to the waking world

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sound of the alarm clock woke her up as her eyes shot opened, but then closed shut with a groan. She reached out lazily to press the button, but missed a couple times before pressing the right one to shut it off. She sat up with one hand to keep her propped up, and rubbed her eyes with the other to get rid of the tiredness. She looked at the alarm clock. The usual 8 AM. Then she let her mind wander back to the dream she had.

'Just what kind of dream was that?' She mentally asked herself as she absently brushed the left side of her hair back, momentarily ignoring how it stubbornly refused to stay in place and fell back next to her face, her mind lingering on the strange dream and the terrifying woman.

'For some reason she felt… familiar to me, so why was I afraid of her?' Her mind, still dazed by the ordeal, struggled to understand. The woman had scared the life out of her. But she was a simple woman. It did not make any sense.

Her gaze wandered towards her desk, where her personal Scroll lay. It was not flashing this time, and this struck her as odd. Lazily she stood up and picked it up, pulling it open to reveal the clear glass, holographic display menu.

"Let's see what you have in store for me today," she murmured in wonder as she tapped the 'Schedule' icon. She looked at the date and list—

'Wait, what? Nothing… today?'

She stood still for a second, quizzically staring at the Scroll. This had rarely happened to her before during her months here, but that had been during the summer.

'So what now?'

'For the time being, a shower. That will clear my mind.' She closed the Scroll, grabbed a fresh batch of clothes, and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

40 minutes later

Ella walked through the halls of Beacon in the same attire she had worn the day prior, still wondering what to do with all the free time she had available to her. She could head to the gym for practice, but she was more of a private person, and the students would already be using the gym for their training, so she would have to abandon the idea for now. She thought about hunting Grimm for practice, but today was initiation day, and she was not allowed to hunt in the Emerald forest until it was over.

That was another thing she thought about: initiation day, when students from different academies around Remnant have their training be tested to join Beacon. It was a complicated affair. Students were required to pair up and hunt for a relic piece during the course. On top of succeeding on their hunt, they had to match their piece to that of another pair in order to assemble the four-member team they would be part of during their stay on Beacon. Failing at any point meant being dismissed on the spot, and the hunt itself was no trivial affair, what with the off-chance of getting killed, but Ella did not believe they would have anyone to mourn. Ozpin had very exacting standards when handpicking students.

The strangest thing about it, though, was that it had to be kept a secret from the hopeful first year students. The staff members (including her) and the current students residing here were told never to reveal anything to the student hopefuls what the initiation entailed, simply to let them guessing and spreading rumors amongst themselves until it started. She guessed this had been a thing made up by the Headmaster for quite a while.

Glynda had told her all of this, and it would have been interesting to watch, but she had no means of seeing it herself. So she was left with other, more leisurely options. She thought about the gardens and the library, and believed they would be a good idea for relaxation, so she added those two to the list.

As she walked, some second and third year students passed her by, a few greeting her, others simply continuing their way. She recognized none of them, except for one she was all too familiar with; a certain Gatling gun toting girl with a penchant for fashion, and the leader of team CFVY (coffee). She was also accompanied by a rabbit faunus girl who she would believe to be her friend and teammate.

Ella recognized the fashionista right away. Coco Adel; a teenage girl with fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. She had wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts in dark brown and transitions to caramel.

Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher. She wore long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with bullets. Above it, she wore another cocoa-colored belt of bullets with a gold crosshairs buckle. A drape of black skirt hangs on her right side. She wore a pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles.

Coco also donned a number of accessories, such as a bracelet with black roses as decoration; these were accompanied by black gloves and necklaces. She wore a beret of a darker brown and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses.

"Well if it isn't the Old Fashioned Huntress," said a smirking Coco, referring to the video and the outfit Ella had bought a while back. "I see you've grown your hair by the way, I like it."

"Thanks, it's good to see you, too, Coco," she smiled back. "It has been a while."

"Likewise," she nodded. "Not to be picky and all, but I still think you should have gone for something more modern than this."

She giggled. "I appreciate that you helped me find some things to wear, and I believe I have enough of those as it is. But like I said, I prefer a certain charm of sophistication. I believe you haven't introduced me to your friend." She implied to the faunus girl.

"Oh, yeah!" She realized as she raised her eyebrows. She then placed her hand on her partner's shoulder. "This is my teammate Velvet." Her full name was Velvet Scarlatina. The rabbit girl had long, brown hair and brown eyes. Her combat gear was comprised by a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown shorts with golden detail and black leggings. She wore a black, semi-translucent undershirt beneath her jacket, along with golden spaulders and vambraces on both arms, as well as a golden belt, and her heel and toe were likewise protected.

She bobbed her head lightly in greeting. "It's nice to meet you, miss."

"Likewise," she nodded, "Coco had told me you are quite the photographer."

Velvet blushed rather lightly. "It's simply just a hobby, really," she said softly and looked away shyly, a little embarrassed about her hobby and secret weapon. Ella tipped her head slightly sideways, wondering why she would be so shy about it.

"You have to forgive her," said Coco protectively. "She tends to be shy around people wherever she goes. Speaking of which, where ya headed?"

"I'm not really sure," she shrugged. "I have the whole day to myself, so I just thought I might head to the library to pass the time."

Coco scoffed. "Booooring! You should totally head out to town and have fun instead of being cooped up here."

"I don't really know about that," she retorted. Before Coco could argue further, Ella's Scroll buzzed. Curiously she brought it up. A diamond shape flashed, indicating that someone was calling her. She tapped the icon and put the device to her ear: "Who is it?"

 _"It's me, Iosefka,"_ came the reply.

She raised her eyebrows in a small bit of surprise. "Oh, what are you calling for, doctor?"

 _"I was planning to head out into town to pick up some tea leaves I had ordered. Unfortunately the staff here is too busy, and I'm hoping you have nothing else to do for the time being."_

She paused for a bit to think. Even after two months of visiting the city from time to time, and almost knowing every nook and cranny when working at night with Eileen, she was still uneasy amongst the crowded street. There were several instances where she almost killed someone out of habit, and a couple incidents where she nearly had an episode done from certain triggers, and if Eileen were not there with her the whole time it would have been worse. But she had improved to the point where she showed restraint when hunting criminals, and being amongst the crowds would not bother her too much. It was part of her recovery program at the time, but now it was simply by choice, and she simply would not do with sticking around the academy.

 _"Ella, are you there?"_ Iosefka asked a little anxiously after Ella did not answer for a small minute.

She shook her head a little of the thought and made her decision. "Sorry, I was just thinking, and yes you are correct, I don't have anything else to do."

 _"Ah, splendid! Will you be coming along then?"_

"Yes, doctor, I will come along." She answered sincerely.

 _"That's good to know, I'll meet up with you at the courtyard then. See you then."_

"Of course, but that might take awhile." She explained, catching her before the woman would hang up. "I'll have to head back and change if you don't mind."

 _"I do not mind at all."_ She reassured, _"I'll be seeing you then."_

"Good day." She hung up the call and looked to the two students. "Guess I'll be heading to the city after all."

"Well, don't let me get in your way." Coco said as she smirked and crossed her arms in silent triumph.

She bobbed her head. "It was nice seeing you both." And so she turned back the way she came and headed back to her quarters to change.

25 minutes later

Iosefka stood in front the Bullhead, waiting for her friend to arrive. The Good Doctor wore a dark green coat dress which reached halfway down her ankles, form fitting trousers, ankle length socks and laced heeled shoes. She carried a purse with a long strap which she had over her shoulder. She was currently musing about her work until she heard footsteps coming her way.

"Ah, Ella, you're here." She said when she looked to see Ella in a different outfit this time. Ella, for her part, had switched her morning dress coat for a very similar one, except for being black on the outside and vanilla on the inside, having a shorter tail and no ornamentation whatsoever, the unbuttoned neckline revealing the ornate white undershirt. The rest of her outfit had remained unchanged: black pants, white socks and black heeled shoes.

"Hope I haven't kept you waiting." Ella said.

"Nonsense, I had just gotten here ten minutes ago. So, shall we head off?" She gestured to the open door of the transport shuttle.

"Yes, let's." They both soon took their seats as the door closed, and soon the Bullhead took off towards the city air docks. Meanwhile, the two had begun to converse about yesterday's experience.

"So, Ella," Iosefka started, "how did yesterday go for you?"

"Yesterday was… interesting, I think." Ella responded as she thought about it. She leaned back against the wall, but then her face turned solemn when she thought about her training. "Can't say the same about my sparring match."

"You've been beaten again?"

She sighed in annoyance. "I almost had her," she seethed as she clenched her raised fists, then unclenched them as they fell to the seat as she then sighed.

"Well it shouldn't be all that bad." She attempted to reassure her. "I was told you lasted nearly forty minutes with her. That's quite a record if I do say so myself."

"That's easy for you to say." She retorted as she looked back at her nonplussed.

"Still, you are well on your way to becoming a full fledged Huntress."

"You know what, let's just talk about something else," she sighed.

"Hmm, alright, how did things go with the students yesterday?"

"It was alright. Met a few familiar faces." Then her face suddenly lit up when she remembered her encounter. "You know, speaking of students, I had just run into Ruby Rose yesterday."

She perked up at this. "Really? The girl who stopped a Dust robbery by herself?"

"The same one." She nodded.

"Hm, well if she's here, then that means Ozpin was involved in getting her in." She then chuckled. "I'm not surprised, though. He does have an eye for potential and talent when he sees it. So what have you learned of her?"

"Well," she thought for a bit as she tapped her chin with her index finger. "For a fifteen year old girl, she is socially awkward. Plus she doesn't like to be treated as if she's special or anything. And also…" she paused as she began to lower her head and smiled as a small blush formed on her cheeks.

"Yes?" She asked as her eyebrow perked up at her sudden pause. She also smiled in anticipation.

"… she is my fan." She answered.

Iosefka giggled at her answer. "Ohoho, I suppose she asked you for an autograph?"

"Yes." She nodded while still smiling. Their descent had begun to slow down, and soon it landed with a soft thud. The doors opened and they mechanically got out of the air shuttle.

"I remember you used to hate autographs." Iosefka stated.

"That's because I did not understand the meaning behind it then." She retorted.

"Hm, well since you had an interesting encounter, my own encounter was the worst!" She exclaimed in annoyance at the memory.

"Really, do tell."

She first inhaled to get her bearings together, then exhaled to relax a bit before the storm. "Just yesterday, just when I had everything prepared for tomorrow's injured from initiation; two battered boys, both of them having a black eye, were brought to my front counter by Professor Port. And believe me when I say I know those two 'dalcops'!"

Ella snickered as she raised her eyebrow to that unique name calling. "Dalcops?"

"Yes, it means hairy idiot in the english language. Now, I've known those two since their first year, and they've been nothing but gluttons for both trouble and punishment. Whenever they went on a mission, or in this case any class activity, they come back injured with a few broken bones or something else. Don't get me wrong, they're quite a force of nature when they work together, but their lack of caution just gets me on my nerves!" She sighed.

"So what did they do this time?" She asked curiously.

"They were fighting each other over a first year girl. I believe he said she was a 'blonde haired bombshell'? Tsk, teenage dalcops." She rolled her eyes as she muttered that last sentence. Ella closed her eyes as she laughed, and she could hazard a guess as to who they were referring to. Right now the streets of Vale were busy save for the sidewalks. That felt more like a relief to Ella as the two walked through the commercial district of the city in silence. Though it did not last long as Ella had a thought, a thought that had to do with yesterday's speech. She could only hope that the doctor would give her the answer.

"Sef?" She asked her name in short.

"Yes?" She responded as she turned to her.

"Yesterday, Ozpin gave a speech which sounded more discouraging, as if he were disinterested in the students attending. Why did he do that?" Now was the moment of truth, and she waited with near baited breath to be given the answer. She did not have to wait long, however, because thankfully, the doctor did have an answer to that, though there was more to the answer than she had thought.

"I'm a little surprised you hadn't caught onto the message behind it. You see, he was simply testing them, to see their determination in their choice of coming here. Because once you step forward, there is no going back from the dangers that lie ahead of them. This is a prestigious academy after all, and he expects none but the best to attend here. So, do you get it now?"

"...Yes, I do. Thank you." She was a bit stunned that one of her theories was correct, but it also brought another thought to this answered theory. If her new theory was correct, and if Ozpin had encouraged them to stay rather than test them, then this academy would have been full very quickly. Soon there would have been no room in the dormitories to fit that many students.

To simply put it; it was better to have quality over quantity.

"Which reminds me…," Iosefka wondered. "About your memories, how are they coming along?"

"Sadly, they have been coming to me rather slowly since initiation, or perhaps too slow." She replied solemnly. "Ever since I remembered my full name, barely anything else had come forth. I don't understand why this is happening."

"And it's been like this for nearly three months you say?" Ella nodded, then the doctor hummed in thought for a bit before coming up with a theory. "You were being very diligent on your education and training, correct?"

"Yes?" She nodded.

"Then maybe those had something to do with it. You have been staying so focused on those two subjects that you never have been given enough time to let your mind focus elsewhere."

"So that's the reason," Ella asked herself under her breath.

"Don't get me wrong, I truly respect your dedication to your re-education. But starting today, you can finally have more breathing room to let your mind wander."

"Hmm, maybe, but my job as an assistant professor should come first."

"I understand."

They both went back into walking in silence, Ella merely following alongside the good doctor as they pass by many of the storefronts until, after walking through the district for nearly thirty minutes, the doctor turned to enter one the doors. Ella stopped and looked up to see a hanging sign reading "Nirvana Glade". Curious, the Good Hunter went inside and saw in awe that the shelves and tables were filled, from different tea sets to the many tea varieties anyone would want to buy. Being a fan of tea herself, she could not help but be amazed at the many ingredients possible.

"Welcome to Nirvana Glade," the store clerk standing behind the counter welcomed with a business smile, but then he realized who the customer was. "Ah, lady Ashcroft, welcome back! Have you come to pick up the usual?"

"I was told that my order just came in today, good sir," Iosefka answered to the store clerk in her usual civil manner. "I'm here to retrieve it."

"Ah, yes, the package just came in today. I'll be right back with your order then, miss."

"Thank you," she nodded. The man left the counter and went inside the inventory room. As she waited, Iosefka looked around to see Ella browsing around the store, admiring the tea varieties that were in stock.

"Is there a specific kind you would like to try, Ella?" She asked.

"O-oh no, I'm just simply browsing about."

Iosefka shook her head in disagreement. "Nonsense, go ahead and try whichever one you fancy," she encouraged Ella. "I'd suggest you try the Kiro Oolong tea mix, it's good for calming the nerves and your health." Her suggestion was met with a bit of confusion, which prompted the doctor to add a few details with a little embarrassment: "Oh, I'm sorry. The store clerk can brew your choice of ingredients into tea, although it's a bit more expensive to do so."

"Oh. Well, in that case I'll try it." Soon after, the store clerk came back to the counter from inventory with a small, ornately carved green box.

"Here it is, ma'am," said the clerk as he set the item near the register. "One box of Tegran Tea leaves. Would you like to have it in a bag?"

She bowed gratefully. "Yes, thank you." She watched as the clerk packaged her order into a paper bag. After he handed it to her, she gestured to Ella: "My friend here would like some Kiro Oolong tea."

"Will that be in a mix or brewed?" He asked as he looked at the Good Hunter.

"Brewed, please," was her polite reply.

"Okay then." He went to grab the two ingredients as he asked another question. "Will that be small, medium, or large?"

"...I'll go with small."

He hummed in confirmation. After scooping up the two ingredients and mixing them together by shaking the container, he then went back behind the counter and used the brewing machine to make the tea. While the tea was being brewed, Ella had something on her mind that she wanted to ask about.

"Do you come here often?" She asked the doctor.

"Of course!" She beamed. "It's been my favorite shoppe for three years since its opening, so the clerks and owner know me by now. I truly recommend you come by this place."

Ella giggled at the offered suggestion. "Well in that case, maybe I should come here. Speaking of tea, what is Tegran anyway?"

"Tegran leaves are one of the best medicinal tea leaves you can ever find. They're grown on the mountains in Mistral on a certain month, which is August. Unfortunately, since they only grow on certain mountains they are very rare, so they do tend to be very expensive when produced in a small quantity, but those who can afford to purchase these leaves receive quite the plethora of benefits."

Ella raised her eyebrow, becoming curious as to the properties behind these exotic leaves. "Really? What makes them so special?"

"Well, it is rich in antioxidants and contains various minerals and vitamins that are beneficial for your health. So when brewed perfectly, it can prevent tooth decay, provide gum health, strengthen bones, protect the heart, regulate blood pressure, and relieves stress and anxiety. And of course, like all other medicinal teas, it can help prevent cancer. It also benefits the health of your skin, giving you that anti-aging look. Which gave it the legend that, if you drink Tegran tea once a day, your aging would be slowed down considerably. Of course, it's just simply a legend."

Ella blinked at this and gave her a dubious look. "You make it sound as if it were some sort of… 'miracle tea'."

She chuckled at the name being made. "It may be a fantastic find, but it is by no means a miracle. I should have you try it sometime."

"Well, if they're as rare and beneficial for your health as you say… wait, you said they grow on certain mountains, so why is it they're so rare?"

"Well…" she was about to answer her when they heard coughing from the counter.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," the clerk excused himself, "but your tea is ready."

"Oh, thank you." Ella walked up to the clerk as he then set the sealed cup on the counter.

"That will be thirty lien." He said after typing in the amount.

"Alright then." She pulled out her wallet and counted through the number of lien she had. She soon took out forty lien and gave it to him.

"Thank you." He went through the register and gave back ten lien in change as the receipt was printed out. "Here's your receipt, ma'am."

She nodded as she took both the receipt and the cup in one hand. Holding it up nearly at face level, she examined the closed lid, noticed the instructions to open it, and peeled it back with her left hand. An inviting vapor rose at once, filling the air with a sweet aroma that sent a wave of pleasure up her nostrils. She took a small sip, careful not to burn her tongue; the taste was so good that she closed her eyes and sighed through her nose in bliss.

The clerk looked on with a knowing smile. "Is this your first time with tea, miss?"

She blushed slightly. "No, it's just that I never tried this tea before." She turned to Iosefka with a relieved smile. "Thank you Sef."

She giggled a little at the compliment. "I'm glad you liked it. So, shall we go?"

Satisfied with the drink, she and her friend bid the clerk farewell, and were about to walk out with their respected purchases, but then Ella stopped as she noticed Iosefka had not paid for her tea.

"Wait, aren't you going to pay for that?" She asked as the doctor turned towards her.

"Hm? Oh no, I already paid for this in advance. So there's no need to worry," she assured her.

Or tried to. The attempt only stumped Ella further. She narrowed her eyes at her: "Um… how?"

Now it was Iosefka's turn to be confused as she raised her eyebrow. "…Online shopping?"

This was an entirely alien concept to Ella. "…What's 'online shopping'?"

Iosefka's eyes widened and her mouth opened, flabbergasted to the point where she almost dropped the bagged wooden box, hardly able to believe that, after nearly three months of being in school, she still knew next to nothing about the CCTN.

Unbeknownst to them, even the store clerk was dumbfounded when he heard the question.

'Was she living under a rock or something!?' Was the first thought that came to his mind. "Are you sure you don't know what online shopping is, miss?" He asked as politely as he could.

"I–uh," she tried to answer but felt embarrassed under the people's gazes. She really did not know how to explain this or what it was, so why were they staring at her like that?

It took a split-second for Iosefka to notice the clerk's confusion and snap out of her stupor: "Oh, apologies! Please forgive my slip. My friend here is a recovering amnesiac. Some things she remembers, but some others we have to teach to her again from scratch. We haven't really reintroduced her to CCTN yet."

Ella did not need to struggle much to show embarrassment. "Yes, um… sorry. For being so much trouble." The bright blush and the way she crossed her arms defensively were no fabrications at all. Still, to a point it was an act, so she waited a bit with baited breath, hoping the clerk was none the wiser in catching on.

"O-oh, I'm sorry miss! I did not know you had that kind of condition. I do hope you get better." Iosefka quietly exhaled through her nose in relief.

"Thank you," Ella replied with a hesitant smile.

"Alright then, now shall we go?" Iosefka asked Ella, and after telling the clerk their goodbyes _again_ they finally went out the door and away from his sight. Once safely out of sight, she asked the Hunter:"Do you _really_ not know about online shopping?"

"To be honest, I never even heard of it." Ella honestly answered.

"Oh dear," the doctor muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her right thumb and index finger while holding the box close to her stomach with her left hand. "How much do you know about your Scroll?"

"Only the basics. It did show other icons which they did not bother to tell me, so I never bothered with them. My days are usually too busy to spend time experimenting with a fancy gadget."

"Hmmm, tell you what. Once we're back at Beacon, I will show you everything there is to know about your Scroll, deal?"

"Deal," She said with an assured smile as she nodded, but then she wondered about what the doctor was about to explain about the tea leaves. At least they were away from any interruptions this time. "So what were you going to say about the tea leaves?"

"Hm? Ah, yes!" She hummed as she thought back to the story she had read about, and had decided to tell her the short version of the story. "Well long ago, back before the Great War even began, some of the Mistral nobles once tried to seek answers to eternal beauty. Eventually one of them did discover the Tegran leaves, and high demands for the hunting of these plants soon came after. With only one Tegran bearing mountain left, it took the effort of a group of herbalists to stop the nobility from harvesting the plants to total extinction. To this day, efforts are still being made to repopulate the Tegran leaves, and so far, only four mountains have been repopulated."

"Wow. All that greed for just one particular herb…," was all she could say. She already knew very well of humanity's appetite and skill for destruction, but evidence of its talent for preservation was much rarer to come by.

"True," she nodded. "Of course, I did get this knowledge from Dr. Oobleck. Which is how I came to love this tea."

She nodded, she could agree to that, but then a thought occurred to her; what should they do next? She did not plan on buying anything today, so she looked to her friend, to see what she would want to do. "So, where shall we go next? I'm sure we've got plenty of time before initiation ends."

It did not take much thought for the Head Nurse to ponder about her other plans for this morning. "Well, I believe the market stands are nearby. I plan to do a bit of grocery shopping, since I'm running rather low on food in my apartment." Iosefka saw that Ella was being a little uneasy of her next route, and she knew why. "I'm pretty sure you have gotten better over the months, but just in case you stay by my side." She nodded in confirmation, and the two walked further into the commercial district.

Time-skip

The farmers market square in the commercial district was not as packed as Ella thought they would be, but it still had plenty of customers going about checking every ingredient available. She walked next to the doctor the whole time, watching her examine many fruits and vegetables, checking their surface, firmness, coloration, etc. As a medical professor, she was very critical in choosing the right ones, and so far, Ella had ended up carrying one bag of fruits and vegetables while the doctor carried her own. For a normal person, they would have been almost heavy to carry, but she was no normal person. Having been exercising under Eileen's instructions, additionally with her Aura being used to dull the aches and keep the blood flowing through her veins, Ella was strong enough to carry them with relative ease. A superior physical form was needed to sustain the unique skills of a Hunter after all, even though she still looked rather slender.

Plus, she quietly thanked whoever invented straps for bags, otherwise she would not have been able to enjoy her tea.

Now they were standing at the herb stall while Iosefka picked which herbs to buy as flavor for her next recipe. Meanwhile, Ella looked at all the choices of herbs, but she did not focus entirely on the leafy items in particular. Her mind wandered back to the dream, the strange, fearful feeling she had when confronting her from behind. Looking at the doctor as she made her purchases, an idea had come to her that perhaps the good doctor could decipher them. Although she was only a well renowned professor of medicine, she could only hope that she had some knowledge on dreams.

"Okay, I think that is everything now." Iosefka said after making her purchase and carrying the bag in her left hand, along with the bagged box. "I believe it's time we should head back, don't you think?"

"Sure," she nodded, and the two soon went out of the market square and took a different path back to the air dock. For the whole ten minutes they walked side-by-side without a word being exchanged, being content with what they had gotten before Ella finally broke the silence. "Hey Sef?"

"Yes Ella?"

"How much do you know about dreams?"

She hummed in thought for a bit. "Sorry, I'm not really an expert in that sort of field, why do you ask?"

She sighed. "Well, I just had a strange dream last night that I can't quite understand. I was hoping you might help me answer it."

Iosefka stayed quiet for a bit, pondering on her choice of words. "Well, I may not be well versed in dreams, but I am willing to listen."

Ella nodded, she compiled her story in her mind before beginning. "Okay. So, I was walking in the streets of Vale at night, following a trail of street lamps until I turned around a corner. That's when I saw this woman. Her back was facing me so I did not know who she was, but something within me told me she felt familiar. So I went up to her to take a look, but as I closed in, I felt aversion, then fear, and then stark terror, like something was screaming at me to run away, but still I pushed on and reached her. Just when I was about to see who she was the alarm clock went off.

"The one thing I just don't understand is why this fear? Why should I even be afraid?" She sighed again, after retelling her story, the doctor hummed as she went into pondering for a bit, until she finally grasped something which actually made sense.

"Perhaps it is not because of the fear coming from _her_ , but perhaps it's because _you_ are afraid of who she is." She queried.

"What do you mean? I wasn't afraid, I was curious!" Ella scrunched her eyes as she looked at her dubiously.

"That is not the point, Ella. The point is that you are afraid of the unknown. You said she felt familiar to you, correct? What if that was your sister, and if so, what has she been doing? What has she become? Does this not make you feel nervous?"

"Well… when you put it that way, I guess it… kind of does make me feel uneasy", she muttered, her voice trembling slightly.

"See? If I had a relative whom I haven't seen in years, which I definitely don't have, then I would be quite nervous, too."

"And here you said you were no expert", she remarked with a slight grin. She felt a little relieved now that she had found an explanation to her dream that made sense. Even if it brought yet another slew of questions to needle her. If it was like Iosefka said —and the chances of that were long indeed—, then could that woman be her sister? And what had happened to her? It was saddening she could not remember her, only knowing of her existence through the silver locket she wore around her neck.

"Yes, I did say that, but what you had just explained to me made sense. Or perhaps I could be guessing", she teased with a smile.

"Well, for a woman in her early forties, I would say you're quite knowledgeable." She brought her cup to her lips and was about to have another sip of tea, but she was startled by Iosefka's sudden outburst of laughter:

"Ha ha ha ha! Oh, Ella, that's so sweet of you to positively think I'm that young! But truth be told I'm actually fifty nine years old!"

Ella did a double take as she looked a her features. "How is that possible!? You look rather younger than that!"

She giggled at her confusion. "Well that comes with the perks of being the best doctor in Remnant!" She boasted proudly.

Her braggadocio annoyed her slightly. "Alright, spill it. What's the trick?"

"Hahaha. Now now, Ella, you're clearly not old enough to learn my secrets! How about you wait until you're forty, hmm?" Again she teased her, with raised eyebrows this time.

"That's not fair", she sulked.

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Unbeknownst to them as they talked, they went by an antique shop displaying an assortment of old, outdated items set up behind the store windows for window shopping. One of the items which stood out amongst the rest was a mannequin like doll, taller than any doll ever seen, sitting on a handmade rocking chair. This doll wore clothes that would have come from Victorian era England. Her porcelain, human-like face was the color of pale white, and her grayish blonde hair was covered mostly by a hat. The passing presence of her mistress opened her lifeless blue eyes, watching the Hunter walk by, with the back her head shown to her. She suddenly stood up from her chair, careful not to trip over anything as she made for the exit…

Much to the shock, bafflement, and heartbreak of the store clerk who watched it all happen.

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The two women walked in silence after Ella's hopeless attempt at convincing the doctor to reveal her secrets, oblivious to something or someone following behind them — or not: Ella did feel that someone was following her, but she dismissed it on the spot, chalking it up to her mind having another fit of rampant paranoia, an unhealthy habit she was trying to break.

But then, it was impossible to ignore the strange looks people walking past them would sport. Was it them, she thought, and discarded it after a moment of discrete scrutiny.

Out of a hunch she softly grabbed Iosefka by the arm and took a random turn around a corner. The doctor was startled, but said nothing and played along. Ella interrogated her senses: the presence continued to hound their steps, closer now.

So in a single, blindingly fast motion, she shoved Iosefka ahead of her, ditched the bags of produce and tea, whirled around and lunged towards their stalker's throat, her outstretched palm now a lethal weapon…

Except that the throat was a lot higher than usual.

Her outburst of adrenaline gave way to mind-numbing shock. She dropped her mouth open, hardly able to believe her eyes.

"Ella…?" Iosefka ventured cautiously, her back still turned on her. There was no answer, but neither were the sounds of fighting the Good Hunter's sudden outburst had caused her to expect, so she slowly turned around.

The sight that greeted her eyes was beyond strange. The person was a tall woman, taller than any woman she had ever seen, and if she were to guesstimate, she may be a head taller than Ella. Her outfit consisted of a dark brown corset, and a black dress coat with white sleeves underneath. A dark brown laced shawl draped over her shoulders, a black long skirt reaching down to her ankles, and worn ankle length laced shoes. She had a dark pink bow tied to her neck with a golden broach set in place. She wore some kind of hat meant for a vintage porcelain doll, which struck her as odd.

What was even more odd and unsettling was her expression. Her face was very pale yet beautiful with her grayish blonde hair, but her expression looked passive yet calm, and her grey blue eyes looking back seemed lifeless.

"We finally meet again, Good Hunter," the tall woman said passively yet sweetly in that familiar Portuguese accent, but her words barely held any emotion to them.

"Um, Ella? Do you know this woman?" The doctor asked curiously, but Ella did not hear her as she tried to come up with something to say.

"D-D-Doll!?" Ella managed to speak as she continued to stare in disbelief at the Plain Doll, but words almost failed her. "Wha-… how—how is this even possible!?"

"It was Flora who sent me here to serve you, Good Hunter."

'To serve me,' she mentally asked herself in her confusion. 'This should not be possible,' she thought, 'she should not even exist outside the Hunter's Dream'. Ella had seen enough things, from knowing there being celestial creatures residing within the cosmos to taking on the plague. She thought she would never be surprised after witnessing so much, yet somehow the universe still had another thing to surprise her with. So here she was, standing in front of her in all her reality defying glory. 'First seeing the old Hunters and now this? Just what is going on here!?'

"A-and… how long have you been here?"

"Around the same time you returned to Remnant."

"Ella!" Iosefka broke through her shock as she called out in alarm. "What is going on here? And who is she!?"

"S-she's a Doll." She answered nervously.

"What do you mean she's a doll?" Iosefka asked as she looked at the Hunter incredulously.

"...Look at her hands, Sef," she muttered. She still looked at her in incredulity at the demanding answer, but she did what she told her to do and looked down at the doll's embroidered, red fingerless gloved hands folded together. She did not see anything out of the ordinary at first, but within a second, when her eyes adjusted more clearly she realized with a surprised expression that her fingers were articulated porcelain.

"I… I don't understand," she said dubiously. To her, these could be prosthetic hands covered in porcelain.

Ella was about to try and explain to her about the Doll, but then she noticed as she looked around that people were staring at them. It then dawned on her that these people had never seen a living doll before, but it also dawned on her that without a close look all they would see was a tall, strangely dressed woman, and if she did not give them the opportunity that was all they would see.

"Um… Doll, come with me please!" She told her hastily as she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away, forgetting about the spilled produce and tea and searching for a place to hide from prying eyes.

Meanwhile, Iosefka gave Ella a baffled expression for her sudden action, but she soon followed after she hastily gathered her fallen purchases. "Ella, wait for me!"

They soon found an alleyway and went in, and they soon stood near a dumpster after taking a turn. Ella looked around to see if anyone followed them or was watching, and to her relief no one was. She was about to address the elephant in the alleyway, but the doctor interrupted her before she could speak.

"Ella, what is wrong with you!?" She asked all baffled and being somewhat upset. "Why did you drag her all the way here!?"

"Sef, do you remember Eileen ever telling you about a doll residing in the Hunter's Dream?"

"I…" The doctor paused and thought for moment, remembering her past conversations with the former Crow Hunter. Eventually she did remember her mentioning a doll within a dream when they discussed with Ozpin about Earth. "I think she did mention a doll. Are you telling me she's the one?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Both her eyebrows were now raised in surprise after the confirmation. "Oh… I see."

The doctor did not feel comfortable about this whatsoever. A doll being alive did not seem possible, scientifically speaking, yet her curious mind had begun to wonder how this could be possible. She was not ignorant, she also knew about the existence of the Great Ones and their power. She once had served the Healing Church after all. She did not, however, wish to pass on this opportunity to learn of this new kind of marvel. She then walked up to the living Doll to examine her more closely, particularly her hand, but not without permission.

"May I," she asked.

The doll silently nodded, and the doctor lifted up her porcelain arm to examine further. Meanwhile, Ella watched this happening, a bit surprised that she was taking this somewhat well for a rational woman who had never seen a living doll.

"Interesting, can you feel anything?" Iosefka asked.

"No I do not, I am merely a doll." She answered passively.

"Hmm, that's strange," she muttered, "then perhaps you have a soul? You do have one, don't you?"

"Sef? You seem to be taking this a bit well." Ella said cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." She scoffed. "Although this makes me feel uncomfortable knowing she was made by something beyond my understanding. Still, doesn't it make you curious to know how she works?"

The Good Hunter lifted her hands up in a refusing gesture. "No thanks! I would rather keep my sanity intact if I were you," she warned.

"Actually, she has no need to fear of that." The Doll responded. "I was created with Flora's power residing within me. I suppose you could say I have a soul, but that is not how it is."

Iosefka was a bit taken back by this gleam of information. "Oh… I see. Well I guess that answers one of my questions."

That still did not bode well with Ella, and she would rather keep the doll away from her to save her sanity. Thinking about taking the doll away sprung another dilemma; where could she take her? She knew she had to hide her from everyone, and perhaps the academy might be the place to do so, but there would be students walking about, and having the doll to walk inside the halls would raise more suspicion. She then decided that she would just keep her in her living quarters. Iosefka was about to ask the same thing, however, when she turned to address her.

"I was wondering, where should we take her to? I was thinking we should take her to Beacon."

"I was thinking the same thing, but I will need to inform Ozpin of this first." She pulled out her Scroll and searched through her contacts, soon pressing on Ozpin's contact profile as it then rung.

Meanwhile, at Beacon cliff

Glynda and Ozpin were currently on the cliffs of Beacon where the student initiation had started, and as of this moment the initiation was almost coming to a close. They were watching the group of future student teams running through the woods to the next set of ruins (the very same place where Ella had killed her first nevermore) when Ozpin's Scroll had a call alert pop up on his screen, showing that the call was from Ella. This made him rather curious as to why, so he tapped the phone symbol to answer and it went straight to audio.

"Good morning, Ella, is there something that you need?"

 _"I apologize if I am interrupting anything, but I'm just calling to inform you that we're bringing in a guest."_ She answered cryptically.

"I see, and does this guest happen to be familiar with you?"

 _"Yes, she is the Plain Doll I've told you about, sir."_ Now that certainly was an intriguing surprise to him as he raised his eyebrows. Ella had explained to him about the doll living in the Hunter's Dream, with the same description Eileen told him. Why a living doll created in the dream happened to be here was beyond his comprehension at the moment.

"...I see, have you and the doll stay at your apartment until we come over and talk. The initiation trial is about to end soon."

 _"Understood sir, I'll be seeing you there. Good day."_ The call soon hung up after that.

"Did I just hear her right?" Glynda asked incredulously when she, too was listening in on the call. "She says she's bringing a doll here?"

He shook his head. "It's not just a doll, Glynda. She is bringing _the_ doll to Beacon."

Back to the city

Ella soon hung up her Scroll after saying her farewell.

"Well, what did he say?" Iosefka asked.

"He says to have her stay at my apartment until after the initiation trial is done, and has told me that he will be coming over to talk soon after."

"I see, well we best get going then."

"Wait," said Ella as she had an idea. She told the doll to hold onto the bags as she handed them to her, to which she obliged without question before the Hunter turned to the doctor with a positive smile. "I was thinking; if people start asking questions about the doll, then we should say she's my mechanical servant, what do you think, Sef?"

"I don't know," she said, uncertain of the idea. "Are you sure it will work? She does kind of… stand out." She explained as she looked up at the Doll.

"Yes, I'm positive it will work. I'll just have to make up a story, endure the staring, and soon we will reach the air docks with hopefully no problems." She then turned to the Doll. "So how about it, do you think you can work with me?"

"Of course, Good Hunter," the Doll said as she bowed her head.

Ella then turned back to face Iosefka with a proud smile on her face. "See, she agrees with me!"

Iosefka could do nothing but sigh in frustration at this. "Alright, I'll go with this plan of yours, but we should get going."

With the plan set, the two ladies plus living Doll walked out of the alleyway, preparing themselves to ignore the stares as best they can until they reached the docks.

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 **A/N: You all have waited patiently for the next chapter, and I have finally delivered. Well this became another long chapter, and the strangest and best thing about this chapter, is that she now has the doll to keep her company at home. You all may be wondering what her true purpose in this story might be. Well, sorry but you're all gonna have to wait on that. What I would like to know is how I've gotten the doll's character. Was it good, bad? Let me know in your review.**

 **Anyways, about this chapter: it was a pain in the ass let me tell you. I had to change some whole scenes four or five times (only in the city of Vale in particular) in order for the story to fit, and I was going to write in the team forming ceremony and the meeting with Ozpin, but I was almost reaching ten thousand words and beyond and I did not wish to go that far just yet.**

 **I would like to give a shoutout to my beta reader CruxMDQ for his proofreading and suggestions.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After a while of walking through the streets, enduring the odd looks going their way (more-so at the doll), the three finally made it back to the school's apartments. The first stop was Iosefka's place. The idea being after a brief stop at Iosefka's to unload her groceries, the Doll would then be taken to Ella's own for the day.

"Alright, I'll take care of the rest." She said after placing one last grocery bag on the counter. "You should go and take her to your quarters, I'll be heading back to the clinic as soon as I'm done here."

She nodded. "Alright then. You know, today was… rather interesting to say the least." She said as she shrugged.

"Same here," the doctor said as she smiled. "Well, you'd best get going. Good day to you Ella."

She nodded once more to say goodbye, then she turned to the Doll. "Let's get going." She held the doll's porcelain hand and lead her out the door. They did not have to go far to reach her place; it was merely three doors down.

Upon a command via her Scroll, the door opened to let them in. Compared to the Head Nurse's, the Good Hunter's place was not that different in design, layout and furniture, but the atmosphere was rotundly different. Iosefka's apartment was subtly but exquisitely decorated, whereas Ella's home was spartan in its austerity.

Only after the door was securely closed behind her did Ella address the Doll:

"Okay, we are going to wait until my Headmaster gets here. He wants to have a talk with you and I'm certain he will be bringing company over. Will you be okay with this?"

"Of course, Good Hunter," the Doll replied with a nod.

"Fine then. Please take a seat. I'll just prepare a small meal for myself while we wait." She went over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She knew the Doll could not eat nor drink, which to her was a saving grace for her wallet. After making a small meal which consisted of salad, crackers and a cup of water, she sat at the table and ate in silence. To someone else the Doll's absolute motionlessness would have been disturbing to say the least but to Ella it was perfectly mundane, except for the enigma of the Doll being there in the first place.

Twenty minutes later, she was putting the dishes on the sink when someone knocked on the door. "That must be him," Ella said.

She opened it to reveal Ozpin himself, along with Glynda and Eileen.

"May we come in?" He asked.

"Of course." She stepped aside and let them through. When Ozpin reached the room, he raised his eyebrows in slight surprise at the sight of the unexpected tallness of the woman sitting on one of the chairs in the living area as the Doll looked back. The description of her was quite accurate enough coming from both hunters, and her eyes seemed rather calm.

"You must be the Doll, I take it."

She nodded her head in greeting. "Yes, and you must be the Headmaster." The accent sounded rather strange to him, but he simply let it slide. What got him quietly intrigued more was the elasticity of her features to allow her to physically speak.

"That is correct." He walked to the couch to sit down, but before he did that he looked to Ella for confirmation. "I assume you informed her about me?"

She shook her head. "Not much, I simply told her the Headmaster was coming over to have a talk with her."

"I see, then I must be quite obvious." He commented a bit sarcastically.

Meanwhile, the two staff members were in different states of reaction. Glynda felt unnerved when she looked at the Doll, because never in her lifetime had she ever seen a doll that would walk and talk. This thing was completely alien to her, and she could only guess what this thing could be capable of.

Eileen on the other hand, was rather curious seeing her old acquaintance again. In fact, she said almost nonchalantly, "I never thought you would be here in the real world, Doll."

The doll turned her attention to the familiar voice, and looking straight into the eyes of the former Crow Hunter. "Ah, it is good to see you again, Good Hunter."

"Wait a minute, I thought Good Hunter was a given title." Ella said, a bit surprised that she would call Eileen the Good Hunter as well.

"It sort of is," explained Eileen, "but it's more of a gesture of polite respect to the hunters. Come to think of it, she might as well call every hunter in this school as the Good Hunter."

"Oh, I see… I guess it kinda makes sense." She muttered to herself, although in a sullen tone.

Ozpin observed the exchange almost clinically, not unlike a sage observing the behavior of a newly discovered species on its natural habitat. "I can see the three of you are still well acquainted with each other. Now I do have some questions I would like to ask of you, if you do not mind," he said as he sat down on the couch.

"I do not mind at all, Headmaster." She responded with her characteristic and slightly unsettling politeness.

"Good, now when and how is it that you came to be here?"

"I came to be in this world nearly three months ago by Flora… right around the same time when Ella returned home."

"I see, and this… Flora, is a Great One I take it?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Hmmm," he hummed in thought as he took a sip of his coffee. Meanwhile someone else asked a question.

"I would like to know how you are alive," Eileen pondered. "You were made within the dream, so it should not be possible for a doll to be alive in the real world, should it?"

"You would be right to assume so, but I was made manifest by Flora's power and will. And with that power given to me is what keeps me alive. Although I may still die."

"I… see." That answer had been so obvious from the start.

"Which means that you are quite fragile given that your body is made of porcelain," he assumed as he was about to take another sip of his coffee.

"Not so much as just crack, but I do bleed like anyone else," she corrected which halted him from taking another sip.

"I'm sorry, come again?" Ozpin's eyebrows were raised as he looked her studiously yet was somewhat disturbed by her response.

"I bleed like any mortal."

He looked to Eileen. "Did you know of this?" To his surprise even Eileen was somewhat shocked of this new information.

"Were you also able to bleed in the Hunter's Dream?" She asked.

The Plain Doll nodded, "Yes."

"Well this is new." The Night Huntress folded her arms as she leaned back. Then she looked to Ella to see if she knew about this. "Did you know about this Ella?"

"Actually, yes." She answered a bit nervously. Now everyone's eyes were on her for an explanation. The two professors looked to her for information while Eileen looked at her as if she had done something wrong.

"And _how_ do you know this?"

"Um," she hesitated. "Well, I was getting angry over being killed five times by Maria that I… accidentally lashed out at the doll, cutting her at the front which spilled out pale white blood." She spoke with shame when she remembered that event.

Eileen was quietly observing the young lady's reaction and behavior when being next to the doll, and she noticed within her tone that she had some sort of bond with the Doll. The Night Huntress did not show it, however, as she was more caught up in the discovery of Pale blood.

"Pale. white. blood? Pale blood?" Eileen looked to the doll, and the doll nodded silently to answer her question. "Can we see this blood of yours?"

"Eileen, you must be joking! Dolls do not bleed," Glynda argued in disbelief. "And I very much doubt she would want to be bleeding in the real world!"

"Normally you would be right, Glynda, but to what we're already told this doll is not normal. And as morbid as the request sounds, I too am curious as to see what her blood looks like," Ozpin said.

"Not you too, Ozpin!" Glynda gasped in disbelief and disgust.

"Ella, would you kindly…," Eileen gestured as she asked, ignoring Glynda's protest.

"Alright." She sighed uncomfortably as she got up from her seat and went to the kitchen. She grabbed the kitchen knife and went back to her seat next to the doll. She pulled up the glass table, and she then gently grabbed the doll's wrist and looked to her, silently asking for her permission to proceed (which Eileen obviously caught her doing). The doll nodded to let her do what she had to, and Ella took off the glove and guided the porcelain hand over the glass table. With a quick slice she cut the doll's palm, and true to her word, pale white blood dripped out from her palm and onto the glass table, showing the proof to everyone in the room.

Their expressions varied; Eileen was surprised to see that the doll actually bled, while at the same time she was intrigued of the blood's color. Ozpin looked at the blood studiously, it was not everyday that one would see someone's blood color being so different than everyone else's, but more than that, he was having a hard time trying to wrap his head around the fact that her porcelain skin could also be her flesh. Glynda was thinking the same as Ozpin, however, she felt repulsed seeing it. It was not natural for this doll or thing to be able to have blood in the first place.

Suddenly, the pale blood had begun to evaporate rapidly, and her bleeding also stopped as the cut disappeared like it never happened. This had left Ella to be confused, because the first and last time she wounded the doll it never healed, only to be healed back to normal when she returned to the Dream. Now her wounds could heal at a rapid rate which somewhat disturbed her.

"Well this is rather odd," Ozpin observed. "Blood that would simply vanish into thin air after leaving the body, is it some sort of security measure?"

She nodded. "Yes, it is simply to prevent anyone from gaining possession over it."

"So, a natural asset denial… smart." Eileen inquired.

"Is the pale blood really that dangerous to anyone who tries to drink it?" Glynda asked.

"It is indeed, to which my blood has been altered upon arrival."

"Hmm, I see," he muttered before a certain subject pertaining to blood had come to mind. "And speaking of blood," Ozpin spoke up to garner her attention, "Ella and Eileen explained to me that you can manipulate these so called 'blood echoes' to enhance a Hunter's strength and abilities, can you still do that?"

She shook her head. "I can no longer do so. Flora took that knowledge away from me, knowing there was no use for it."

"She does have a point," said Ella. "There are no beastly plagues running rampant, and the Grimm surely do not bear any blood echoes."

"That is a good point," Ozpin acknowledged, "so what abilities do you have?"

"Well, I can do this…," she raised her porcelain hand up and snapped her fingers, while Ozpin had gotten more intrigued at how dexterous her limbs were, even though the question remained of both flesh and porcelain. All of a sudden something leaned against the kitchen counter with a thud, drawing everyone else's attention to a familiar object the two Hunter's knew right away.

It was a coffin, but it was not just any coffin. It was the coffin from the Hunter's Dream which could store practically anything and as much as you wanted. So to simply put it, it was a magic coffin.

Ella turned to the Doll, a twinkle in her eyes. "Are all my things in there, Doll?"

"Yes," she smiled softly as she nodded.

She graciously got up and went around the living room to the leaning coffin, to which she opened it to reveal nothing but pitch black darkness inside. What she did next startled the three of them when she literally climbed casually into the darkness, and within a couple seconds later she jumped right out of the coffin… with her casual clothes completely swapped and wearing a completely different yet all too familiar outfit.

"Is that my uniform," Eileen asked a bit dubiously as she looked upon Ella's choice of attire; the Crow Hunter attire.

"Well what do you think Eileen, does your uniform look good on me?" She asked as she crossed her arms in that signature pose Eileen usually did. Eileen, however, was a bit unamused.

"We'll talk about this later," she answered deadpan.

She huffed, then she jumped backwards right back into the coffin and out again with the Hunter's attire, complete with the bandana mask and the torn tricorn hat.

"Ah, I never thought I'd be able wear this again… well except for this tricorn hat of course." She muttered the last part, though muffled, as she took the hat off and examined it.

"Ella, you do realize that any clothing you picked from Yharnam is deemed flammable," Eileen reminded her deadpan.

She looked back her with a dirty look as she lowered the mask and then crossed her arms. "I understand that, but I am not going to wear those _things_ you people call clothes! Why do you think I chose the outfits I currently have in my closet in the first place?"

"You can't stick to the old world forever you know. You've got to show your feminine side sometimes." One would think to call out on her hypocrisy on matters of clothing, but she had often shown her casual attire to be like anyone else in Vale. The reason she remade the Crow Hunter attire was because of wanting to continue her profession, though more reformed as Ella observed over the months they'd spent working together.

"Wearing my Huntress attire was enough for me to show my skin, and I can live without any further exposure thank you!" She scoffed as she turned her head away.

"Ahem…," Ozpin interrupted the little banter between the two as both eyes now looked to him. "I do believe we do have important matters to continue with?"

"Sorry," they both said simultaneously as Ella went back to her seat.

"Now then," he turned back to the doll, "what else can you do, Doll?"

She shook her head. "I am not sure what else I can do, I've only known how to do that so far."

"So you're telling me that you've been given powers from a god, yet you do not know what they are or how to use them yet?" He theorized.

"I had merely woken up after waiting months for her to find me."

"Hmmmm," he pondered, simply not buying what she said but he did not voice it.

"To me that should give some concern," Glynda inquired, "who knows what she might actually be capable of doing."

"Glynda, she's harmless," Ella scoffed her claim. "All she has ever done in the Dream is serve the Hunters, and tended to both Gehrman and the gravestones."

"We understand that, but Glynda is right in a way," Ozpin added. "She doesn't know what else she can do just yet, and this should warrant some observation from time to time. And I would like for you to report to me on what she has done, when she has done it, understood?"

"I understand professor," she sighed.

"Good," he nodded.

"Now I believe the next question should be about your duration," said Glynda, "how long will you be staying here?"

"I will be staying alongside the Good Hunter until Flora deems that my services are no longer needed," she answered.

"Well that sounded a bit cryptic, though I'm not surprised," Eileen said as she sighed.

"Extended stays aside," Ozpin quipped, "I think the next thing we need to do is figure out what to do with her, any thoughts?" Though he referred to Ella to make an answer, Glynda, on the other hand, had a different idea.

"My thoughts are to keep her in one place," she suggested.

"You mean as in locking her up?" Ella asked defensively.

"She is an anomaly, Miss Fall, something that defies the laws of nature and explanation. If the people in this school were to grow suspicious and find out she's a living breathing doll with no soul but... magic to help her function, there would be chaos, and we don't want her to end up in the wrong hands as well."

"Such as the students perhaps?" Eileen asked.

"Or worse."

"You may have a good point and all, but the decision should be entirely up to you, Ms. Fall," Ozpin said as he turned to her. "She only serves you after all."

Ella pondered on the thought for a moment until she turned to her companion. "Well, I think I can just keep her here like a house maid," she answered, "what do you think, Doll? Will it be okay if you stayed here?"

"Of course, Good Hunter." She answered kindly. Ella smiled back for the answer, but her expression had still caught the eyes of Eileen's observation.

"Are you sure she will simply stay in the apartment," Glynda asked studiously.

"She's a doll, Glynda," Ella corrected, "I highly doubt she will go stir crazy by being cooped up in here."

"That's not what I meant." She argued.

"I believe we've asked enough questions for now," Ozpin concluded as he got up off the couch, then looked to Glynda. "I think it's time we leave to prepare for the team forming ceremony, don't you think Glynda?"

"Of course," she sighed as she reluctantly agreed. Then she got up and followed the Headmaster out the door while Eileen strangely stayed behind.

"Aren't you going with them?" Ella asked curiously.

"I will, I just need a word with you for a moment." She explained.

When the door shut closed it was just the three of them. Thus she began to speak her mind. "So, how close are you with the Doll?"

"E-excuse me?"

"There's no need to hide it from me. It was easy to tell as I watched how you acted around her, and how you looked at her. But all I want to know is how close you've gotten with her."

Ella blushed a bit with a little embarrassment after hearing that.

"I, too had a bond with the Doll, but I learned to let it go and move-on a long time ago." Eileen explained to convince her to speak.

She sighed. "Look, I understand where you're coming from. The doll has helped me much throughout my journey, and you could say I've formed a close bond with her. But I'm telling you this now; I am not emotionally attached to her in any way."

Eileen had somewhat of a feeling that there was more to it than that, but she decided not to push the subject and accepted her word for now. "I guess that is good to know." She stood up from the seat. "I should be going then, until next time," and walked to the door, but she then stopped and glanced back at Ella. "Oh, and Ella?"

"Yes?"

"The ceremony will be starting at 7:30PM sharp, don't be late."

"I promise I'll be there," she assured.

"Good, see you then." She soon left the apartment after that. Now, though, with Ella having all this free time before the ceremony, she was left with one question in mind.

"What should I do in the meantime?" She asked herself, going deep in thought as to what to do. She remembered that she left her Scroll inside the coffin and went to it, reaching her hand into the darkness. She thought of the Scroll, and she pulled it out. The Scroll's diamond shape, however, suddenly started flashing, telling her she had a pending message. She opened up the Scroll and went to email, and to her surprise it was from Ozpin with a link to a video. She hummed in curiosity as her eyebrow was raised, and when she tapped the link it brought her to having multiple videos of mornings initiation.

"Oh~," she awed as she watched how it all played out. At least she would be more informed and not be bored for the time being before the ceremony.

—Hours later, at 7:30PM—-—

Dusk had come, and true to her word, Ella reached the amphitheater ten minutes early before the ceremony started. The amphitheater was getting filled up quite fast when she got there, and now it was almost filled to the brim with students. The second, third and fourth year students sat near the base and upper levels respectively, while whatever was left of the first years, who had decided to stay and successfully passed initiation, sat at the base level below the second years. Sadly, there were not that many first year students as she observed.

She was sitting amongst the staff members on the upper level. She had her signature uniform on again, but this time her dress coat was an emerald green to represent Beacon. She currently sat next to Eileen to her left, and to her right sat a portly looking professor. The lights soon dimmed as the clock struck seven thirty, with several lights now focused on the stage as the Headmaster walked up to the mic and began his speech.

"Yesterday, many hopefuls stood in this very stadium, but those many who came here left with doubt on their minds, knowing that they were not yet ready. Yet, there are those who did take those first steps into attending this school, and I am proud to say these first years, who stayed and persevered through the fire of today's trial, now stand among us. But it was not their strength, their training, or their Semblance which helped them survive, no. It was teamwork alone which saved their lives and each other's, and it is by being a team that it will help you grow into becoming more than what you are, and for a bond with your fellow teammates that I'm sure will continue to grow for the next four years to come. So tonight, let us welcome our new first year teams!"

The crowd cheered and applauded at his speech, and they then watched as the first four students walked up to the stage and stood at attention. As he called their names, the holographic screens floating at the back of the stage showed their names for all to see. As he announced the forming of their team name, the screen showed the first letter of their names, whether from their first or last name, moving to the center of the screen as the rest of their names faded to form their team name in four letter words.

Two teams later

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Skye Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team CRDL (Cardinal). Lead by… Cardin Winchester." The crowd of students applaud the new team before they left the stage to be replaced by the next group, soon standing at attention.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie."

* * *

Flashback

This was worrying for Jaune. Unfortunately nothing, not even bullets and Dust grenades could break through the ancient Deathstalker's seriously tough shell. For now its glowing stinger was still buried in the front end of the bridge while three members of the future team continued to pour more fire at the scorpion Grimm, but that all ended when the Deathstalker finally yanked its stinger out of the bridge, but the stinger's removal broke the front end of the bridge, making it start to tilt backwards towards the chasm, and Jaune knew why. He and his team were standing at the edge of the broken bridge, and their combined weight was what was making it tilt backwards. He did not have time to debate as his mind went into overdrive. All of the fear and doubt were washed away from his mind, and in an instant he made his first order to his future team.

"We gotta move!" He yelled hastily. The team did not stop to think twice as they followed his orders, all of them now running toward the opposite end of the bridge to bring it successfully back to the mainland, and into the pincers of the Deathstalker. Pyrrha ducked and slid under a pincer strike, her shield being raised above her head to block the blow before she spun around and slashed the scorpion with her transformed spear to stagger it, but the ancient scorpion quickly retaliated by bringing its other pincer to strike her down, but that, too was blocked by Jaune's timely intervention with his shield raised up, letting his partner jump over him and strike the other pincer away.

Ren came up next while he poured covering fire with his bladed submachine pistols. The Deathstalker struck at the nuisance with its glowing stinger, only to strike at the stonework when Ren moved out of the way at the last second and grabbed onto its stinger before being lifted into the air, then he swung around and landed behind the tail as he went to work, firing his submachine pistol into the flesh behind the stinger to try and remove it, all while holding on for dear life with just one hand on the stinger.

Pyrrha and Jaune meanwhile kept striking the pincers away from them while Nora came running in from the back, transforming her warhammer into a grenade launcher as she kneeled down and fired two pink grenades at the giant scorpion, but the ancient Grimm saw them coming and it bashed away the two aggressors with its pincers before quickly using them to blocked the explosive projectiles, leaving a pink cloud of Dust and an undamaged shell. Jaune and Pyrrha both skidded back a ways before the blonde swordsman lost his footing and fell on his back, but the red haired gladiatrice still stood after taking a hit and retaliated by throwing her spear at it, a single shot from the spear propelling it to fly faster. The ancient Grimm tried to grab it with its pincer, but it was too fast too late as the spear narrowly passed the closing pincer and was successfully embedded in one of the monster's eyes, making it scream in pain.

In its angered state it whipped its tail around even harder, and Ren finally lost his grip on the stringer and was flown back.

"REN!" Nora shouted in worry as the magenta streak haired boy crashed into a pillar with his back and fell to earth, his breath knocked right out him. Jaune was getting back up, and as he looked up he saw that the glowing stinger was hanging rather loosely from being nearly severed from Ren's submachine bullets. Then an idea came to him as he then turned to Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha!" He said.

"Done!" As if already knowing what he was thinking she threw her shield at the Grimm's stinger and completely severed it from its tail as the stinger landed on its head. The shield sailed towards the pillar behind it, bouncing into the air before she pulled the shield back to her by using her Semblance.

"Nora, nail it!" He ordered next.

"Heads up!" She announced, her grenade launcher already transformed back into the warhammer as she jumped into the air. Pyrrha then went under her with her shield raised above her head, and when the ginger haired war maiden landed her hammer on the shield while at the same time sitting on the shaft of her weapon, the red head pushed her into the air with all her might, followed by the aid of a grenade blast as Nora went skyrocketing while she still sat on her hammer like a witch on a broomstick.

She smiled and giggled as if she was having the time of her life before gravity began to pull her back down. While falling, she adjusted her position to be falling sideways while holding the hammer above her. She grinned as she made a salute before pulling the trigger, making the hammer fire a concussive blast which sent her spinning with such speeds along with her hammer towards the Grimm. With perfect timing and strength she slammed her hammer down on the stinger, burying it deep within the monster's endoskeletal skull, but the powerful strike destroyed the bridge, catapulting both Jaune (screaming out of fear) and Pyrrha into the air towards the mainland while the redhead pulled her spear out of its eye with her Semblance while she was flying over it. Nora for her part still kept grinning as she used her hammer to launch herself to safety by firing another blast through its skull which sent her flying, and in its death throes the ancient Grimm cried in deathly pain as it fell down the dark chasm along with the destroyed bridge.

The three students landed in various ways: Jaune… crashed landed on his back against the ancient stonework, Nora landed on her behind, and Pyrrha landed perfectly as she knelt down on one knee. Ren had already gotten up, and even though he was in pain and exhausted from the fight, he still managed to reach his team before his gave out and fell next to the redhead. Thus the battle ended in their victory.

The three of them stood up and turned to watch the four girls battle the giant Nevermore, but they will always remember that this was a battle they will never forget.

* * *

 **Flashback end**

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team JNPR (Juniper). Lead by… Jaune Arc!"

"Huh?" The blonde haired boy was equal parts shocked and worried in being designated as the leader of his team while the crowd applaud. Even Ella was somewhat stunned, though not surprised, by the announcement. "L-Lead by…?"

"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin congratulated nonchalantly.

Pyrrha went to give him a light playful punch to his shoulder to congratulate her partner, but she ended up knocking him to the ground which made some people (including Ella as she giggled) laugh at the comic spectacle.

From the video Ella had watched, her view on these four students varied:

Nora was the powerhouse of the team, but Ella could only describe the ginger haired girl as both a loose cannon and questionably sane, thus her partner Ren would always be there to keep her head leveled. How the boy was able to endure her antics she would never know. Where Nora would be the energetic and wild one, Ren would be described as the calm and collected one. His martial arts along with the use of his acrobatics make him very agile among the group. He did not show his Semblance in battle, though neither did Nora, and this made her wonder as to why. Plus he tends to be more quiet and less talkative which thus far tended to be his personality.

Next was Pyrrha, the four time regional tournament champion of Mistral; a new record from what she read. She had an excellent set of skills when it came to combat, and from the other videos she saw of the tournaments (thanks to Iosefka's help), she was described as professionally-capable, friendly, righteous yet relaxed. Her training and experience made her out to be the picture perfect candidate to be one of the best Huntress's out there. Ella still had yet to understand her Semblance, that perhaps it could have been her means of winning. As for Jaune, on the other hand… well let's just say he somewhat lacked training to her observation, and he tended to be more of a goofball than anything else. Still, she could not deny his natural talent for leadership, and plus he did show some skill with his sword and shield against the ancient Grimm when desperation came into play. It made her wonder though; just how did he get in? She would be keeping an eye on him for the time being.

After Pyrrha lifted him up, the newly formed team JNPR went off the stage to be replaced by four girls. Two of them she already knew as Weiss and Ruby, but as for the other two… The blonde haired girl she had already seen before, but this girl looked more calm than the others. She had long black hair with a black ribbon tied into a bow on top of her head, making her look as if she had cat ears. she wore a black buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath that was a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg. She also wore black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color transition of black to purple at her ankles. On her left arm was a detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons were wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose scarf was wrapped around her neck.

What their names were, of course she was about to find out.

"And finally, Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. And Yang Xiao Long.

* * *

 **Flashback**

Blake had been accidentally pushed off the bridge by Nora's explosive entrance. As she fell she looked up to see the giant bird flying by above the destroyed bridge. With determination written on her face, and with her training and experience kicking in she turned her body around, and with a grunt she threw her pistol turned kusarigama (with the speed boost of a single round fired) as it spiraled towards another bridge. With its blade successfully sinking into the old stonework she held onto the black ribbon as she swung underneath the bridge, only to tug it off almost at the last second to have her flying. The Nevermore was flying by, and after her kusarigama turned katana returned to her hand she gave herself a midair boost, giving her the speed needed as she flew towards the Nevermore's head. She flipped and slashed at the Nevermore's skull covered head with her katana and bladed sheath multiple times before landing behind its head, then continued on slashing as she ran down its back before jumping off at the end.

She soon landed on one knee on top of one of the broken walls of the tower, where an observant Ruby had seen the whole thing happen, then she jumped off again.

"It's tougher than it looks!" Blake said when she landed right next to her partner Yang. The heiress, Weiss, soon joined after as they all gathered together in one spot on the tower.

"Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" Yang declared as her bracelets turned into shotgun gauntlets. They got ready when the Nevermore began to turn around and head straight for them. They soon fired everything they had; Ruby firing her high caliber rounds from her sniper scythe, Blake firing round after round from her pistol, Yang punching the air to trigger the firing mechanism as the fire dust rounds (which were more like fireballs) flew straight toward the bird, and Weiss used her Dust chambered rapier as a focus and used it to elegantly cast ice missiles.

No matter how much fire power they threw at it, the Nevermore was simply shrugging them off like they were nothing as it soon crashed straight through the lower level of the tower underneath them. Knowing that the idea had failed they ran towards the edge of the broken platform, only to jump up onto individual falling chunks of stonework and so on as they used their acrobatics, gear, Aura, and Semblance to reach back onto the lower level the Nevermore crashed through. By the time they made it onto the now more ruined tower, they were separated into two teams once again.

"None of this is working!" Weiss frowned at the current situation while standing by her partner Ruby. The fifteen year old scythe wielder looked at the environment around her, trying to figure out a way to kill the bird when she noticed something. Blake landed near Yang on the connecting column arch separate from Ruby's bridge with the aid of her Kusarigama and black ribbon. Then she looked to see Yang being on a tall ruined column, firing away at the flying Nevermore. Then a thought, no a plan, began to quickly form inside her mind along with the use of Weiss' glyphs. It was a plan that would seem so unorthodox, that if used just right she might pull it off.

"I have a plan!" Ruby told her partner which garnered her attention. "Cover me!" Weiss nodded, and they quickly separated to get to work.

Yang meanwhile was having somewhat of a hard time hitting the moving target that is the Nevermore, with some rounds missing her intended target. She fired one more out of frustration and successfully hit the Nevermore on the side of its face, which pissed it off to make it come around to try and swallow her whole in one swoop. Yang smirked, having a reckless and crazy idea as it flew in closer. Jumped at the last second towards its opened beak, and like what Ella did she halted herself halfway, keeping its beak wide open for an attack.

"I! Hope! You're! Hung-ry!" She yelled as she fired round after round of fire Dust down its throat. The giant death bird squawked in pain, but it was also getting dizzy and disoriented that it lost control of its wings, making it hopelessly fly straight for the cliff wall. Yang looked behind her and took the time available to her to jump off, landing on the bridge on one knee before the Nevermore crashed into the wall, but reoriented itself as it landed onto the ancient stone rooftop. It groggily lifted its head up, but it was now more angry as it spread its wings out and cawed furiously at its annoying prey, preparing to fly again.

Yang was about to run when she looked up ahead to see the three girls at the other end, standing where two columns of the same height were when Weiss went sprinting/speed skating with her Semblance activated beneath her foot to give her speed. Yang smirked knowing her little sister was up to something and sprinted toward the other end as the two crossed past each other; Yang going to help however she could while Weiss speed skated toward the Nevermore to stop it from flying away.

The giant black bird was about to fly, and Weiss jumped at the very edge of the bridge, twirling once before aiming straight for its tail feather. The Nevermore flapped into the air when Weiss trapped its tail by stabbing into the old brickwork and summoning spikes of ice to encase the end of its tail. The giant bird was caught by surprise when it could not leave as Weiss jumped and backflipped back onto the bridge and skated back toward the three girls to make ready.

Meanwhile Blake was standing on a column at one end and threw her kusarigama towards Yang at the other end, firing once to give it more speed until the blonde girl caught it mid air before grabbing onto the column and sinking the blade into the stonework, with Blake merely holding onto the end of the ribbon. With the ribbon tied from one end to other it made out to be more like a makeshift slingshot. Ruby launched herself into the air by firing a concussive round to help her fly, then turned around mid air as she flew backwards and landed on the black ribbon. The ribbon was being pulled back downwards by the force and weight, and Weiss was already there as she summoned a white glyph which soon turned black to catch the scythe wielder until she was ready to fire.

"Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss stated.

"Think you can make the shot?" Ruby asked as she stayed ready.

"Hmph. Can I?" Weiss boasted.

That left Ruby a bit confused as she looked back at her partner. "...Can–?"

"Of course I can!" She interrupted out of annoyance as she soon turned off the black glyph and released the little reaper.

Ruby went soaring towards the Nevermore, firing more rounds behind her to gain more speed until her scythe's blade was held around the giant bird's neck and her feet had planted against the cliff wall soon after. Weiss summoned a line of glyphs that went all the way to the top of the cliff, and Ruby ran up dragging the Nevermore with her as she ascended up the cliff while firing concussive rounds again and again to keep the weight of the bird from slowing her down. She went on yelling, building up until they reached the top and she finally decapitated the bird with one shot pull, with the severed landing next to her while the little girl landed under her sniper scythe. Ruby removed her weapon from the dirt and got up from her landing, and casually turned to walk up to the edge, the headless monster now descending down the cliff as the three girls looked up. They saw Ruby's red hooded cloak flapping to the wind as it gave off rose petals, making her look more… beautifully heroic.

"Well. That was a thing." Yang commented on their victory.

* * *

 **Flashback end**

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY (Ruby). Lead by… Ruby Rose."

Weiss blinked in surprise as she looked at the fifteen year old girl next to her. She was shocked and quietly frustrated that she did not get chosen to be leader, and as for Ruby, she stood surprised and speechless.

"I'm so proud of you!" Her half sister Yang said as she ran up to her and hugged her. Ruby smiled at the affection as the crowd cheered on.

Ella smiled and applauded her too. The little girl had an endearing quality to her. Her borderline ridiculous cuteness concealed an equally astonishing skill for combat, traits that she believed would help her blossom into a very capable leader. And she was proven correct when Ozpin sent the videos of the initiation to her via Scroll. She had to say the plan the girl made was quite unorthodox at best but it indeed did work in their favor. The level of skill each of them had was efficient to her observation, and they could make it through the four years as an effective team, but their mindset and personality may be more of a different story for the four of them to get around. Still, fate would determine whether Ruby and her team will live up to those expectations or fade into obscurity.

"Looks like it's shaping up to be an… interesting year," Ozpin commented. The Headmaster simply had no idea what fate lay ahead for all of Beacon.

And Vale.

 **Nighttime**

A portable phone was being slammed onto a desk, as a growling sigh from a bowler hat wearing criminal soon came after. One of his henchmen's Dust heists had failed, and he was growing more frustrated that his quota was not being met as planned. He already had failed his heist, all thanks to a little scythe wielding brat with a red hood. He had been chewed out by his rescuer/employer soon after for his failure, and he did not want to be on her bad side again, knowing what she was capable of doing. He simply had to come up with a better plan soon, otherwise not even his wits would save him from a fiery grave. He lit a fresh cigar held by his mouth, and went back into contemplating.

Soon he heard a door opened behind him, and in came a White Fang grunt pushing a cart filled with cases. He turned around and paid him the lien as promised. If there was one thing these animals were good at, it was loyalty and reliability. Sure these Faunus radicals had done their fair share robbing Dust trains, and although they weren't exactly smart enough to pull off heists as elaborate as his, but they did have the resources and firepower needed to get the job done. How his employer managed to convince their leader to join in as part of her so called 'plan'... he could only make one guess.

"Open it," he ordered in nonchalance. The White Fang grunt did as ordered and used a crowbar to pry open the case, and it revealed to house different, perfectly cut Dust crystals. He pulled an Ice Dust crystal out and inspected it while the grunt backed away to give him space. As he inspected it, he had an idea come to his mind. An idea that involved a Schnee Dust freighter coming at some point, and one more thing needed to pull it off. "We're gonna need more men."

He then turned to the grunt, with his cigar now held between his two fingers. "Go and tell your boss to bring more of his minions here as soon as possible, and tell him it's for a bigger shipment of Dust."

"You mean… right now?" He asked nervously.

"Yes right now! Now go!" He said in frustration as he pointed toward the door.

"Y-yes sir!" He frantically ran towards the door to make the call, and once it was shut the criminal turned back to the map being shown by the illumination of the shattered moon. He took a long drag of his cigar, but suddenly the air felt a little cold for some reason, and the hair on the back of his neck had begun to stand up, as if he were being watched. Of course, he simply ignored it, thinking it was just the tension getting to him until he heard footsteps, and it sounded almost familiar. It could only mean two things: one would be one of his employer's minions which he highly doubt it would be, or it could be some other associate coming to annoy him.

He blew out the smoke from his lungs, sighing in annoyance of the newcomer as he slowly turned around. "Look, can't you see that I'm…" As soon he looked in the direction of the newcomer he instantly froze, his face turned somewhat pale and his blood ran cold.

"Do you have what I asked for, Roman?" The stranger asked calmly yet with cold malice, his voice being rustic with a foreign accent no one had ever heard of.

"R-right, right… of course!" Roman answered with hidden fear as he went over to the desk, all the while the stranger silently watched him, like a predator eyeing its prey. He opened the drawer, and took out the package, all wrapped in cloth and tied together by string. Then he walked on over to him rather cautiously as a gauntlet, its palm turned upright, awaited its gift. "Here it is…" He set the package onto his palm, and the gauntleted fingers closed in around it casually, like a spider would to its trapped prey. Then the other gauntlet pulled out the lien from his pocket as payment for the successful transaction.

"You make good on your promise. I suppose this concludes our business then," said the mystery man a bit slowly.

"Yes, uh pleasure doing business with you." Roman replied as professionally as he possibly could, but the fear still lingered.

The man chuckled darkly. "I do hope we can do business again someday." He turned around and walked into the shadows, and the only thing Roman saw was a cloud of black, crimson streaked smoke before he vanished completely out of existence.

Roman let out a breath he did not realize he was holding in. He then shakily dragged on his cigar to try and calm his nerves, though it was taking its sweet time to do so. He had not known the man much. He had dealt his fair share of dangerous customers and employers during his earlier times as a master thief, but meeting that man was a different story.

He never spoke his name, and neither did he ever reveal his face to him. Of course Roman did not want to bother with remembering names, but to never know more about _him_ was preferable. He had always given off this aura of fear more potent than his current employer. He even made a point to never cross him, and he could still remember vividly the night when Roman had first failed in their deal that the man removed the head of one of his associates in cold blood without effort, and without a care. He warned him that if he ever failed a deal again he would hunt him down and end his life, and Roman believed he could actually do it.

They say he had made a deal with the devil, but he soon had a feeling he made a deal with someone much worse.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally, it's all done! Sorry this took so long for you guys to see, but I had a lot of things on my mind, and plus I was distracted with life. There was a lot of re-editing, replacing and adding to this chapter that I accidentally reached over 12,000 words, so I had to cut down a large chunk of it and transfer it to chapter 14.**

 **Now, onto the details. Let's talk about the Plain Doll, the next addition to Ella's household. We all know her as the key character to helping your hunter grow into a powerful one, and we know she is an inhabitant of the dream. Her personality is both kind and hauntingly serene in which I hope I've captured well enough. Now some of you may be telling me that having the doll around would be pointless since there are no beastly plagues going about, but I will tell you this now; I plan to give her a role in this story, and for the doll to have more powers and knowledge that will aid the Good Hunter in the chapters ahead. For now though, things are going to be… somewhat friendly until volume 2. The one thing I had a hard time wrapping my head around is her body, as in bleeding and such. I know she's a doll made of porcelain, but when you attack her it sounds like you're tearing at flesh (and porcelain?), which makes her all the more otherworldly and unexplainable. It kinda makes you want to understand but can't since it's just game logic, but in fanfiction it can be a nightmare to figure out. So expect her to be seen from time to time.**

 **Next is the flashbacks. After writing out the forming of teams, CruxMDQ suggested I put in flashbacks and Ella's input on teams RWBY and JNPR. I thought about it for a while, and after being convinced by a friend of mine from work I finally decided to put it in, but that's where it started to build up the word count, soon I had to cut off a chunk because I did not feel ready to do so. So I hope I gave the details on the flashbacks enough justice. As for why I did not go into the details about team JNPR… well… I figured you guys would already know since you all have seen the show.**

 **Now last but not least, my distraction. It wasn't just life I was distracted with, though video games may or may not have something to do with it; I was writing side projects, or to be more specific, stories. Whenever I felt stuck or need to cool off on my current story, I would be writing another different fic based on my favorites. That's right folks, I'm writing more stories, and to tell you the honest truth, this story, Bloodborne Twin, is not the first story I've written. My first story to have reached six chapters, and I'm planning to add more, was a crossover story between Destiny and Overwatch. I was inspired to write that crossover by a fanfiction author named Metal4k who is currently writing his story call The Darkest Knight, and I would recommend you check it out. Now as for the other crossover stories… well I can't just reveal every other one now can I.**

 **Shoutout goes to CruxMDQ for his beta reading and suggestions, and I implore you readers to check out his story Starwatch which I'm helping him with. Also, shoutout goes to my friend from work, Lonnie, for giving me advice on my chapters.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The annoyingly insistent call of the alarm clock heralded the arrival of a new day. Fastidiously Ella turned it off and looked: 7 AM. Time enough for her to do her morning routine and have a hearty meal to get her ready for today's classes, which started two hours later. So she got out of bed, started with a few stretches…

Then her nostrils were suddenly flooded by the smell of food being cooked, and it was such a delicious scent that her mouth watered. After a moment's struggle she resisted the temptation to investigate on the spot and managed to hold her curiosity at bay until she was done with her routine. After that, she went out the door to see who was cooking at this hour in the morning… only to see the Doll in a maid outfit doing the cooking.

Much to her surprise.

"Good morning, Good Hunter," the Doll greeted as she kept her attention on her cooking. Ella quickly noted the state of the kitchen: one large bowl was used, an empty cup of yogurt, a few opened bags of ingredients lining the counter along with a bunch of broken eggs in another bowl, and there were a few pieces of cut fruit lying on the cutter board, with some more fruit already sliced and separated into two smaller bowls. Other than that and, oddly enough, it looked relatively fine instead of a mess.

Doll's skill in the culinary arts was surprising enough, but on top of it, Ella did not recall ever buying her any new clothes to wear.

"Um, Doll, where did you get that outfit?"

"I merely changed," was the reply.

"Wait what do you…," she paused as she thought back to the demonstration of her powers during the meeting. "Oh… right."

After remembering that little event she went onto the next subject. "So… what are you cooking, Doll?"

"You will see." She answered with a calm sweetness yet being cryptic. "Please, have a seat."

She raised an eyebrow. "Okay." She went to the dinner table and saw that the utensils (save for the dinner plate) were already set up for her. She took a seat and waited as she watched. She had known the doll since the night of the hunt; she was the physical and kinder version of Maria, could make friendly and soothing conversations, maker of fine tea, had the ability to transform blood echoes into power, tended to pray for the Hunter's safe return, and she was a caretaker of both Gehrman and the gravestones. To see the doll cook and do something else was something she would not have expected her to do. Sure, the doll had done some house cleaning yesterday, much to her surprise, even after she stated she would stay here working as a house maid. Just what else could she do, she wondered.

"It is done," the doll announced as she took the finished plate in both hands. She set the plate in front of her to reveal a fancifully made crepe; stuffed with cut strawberries, peaches and bananas, and fruit jam. The sugar sprinkles topped on the edges of the crepe were added as more flavor. She stared in awe down at a plate which could have been made at a five star restaurant.

"This looks… wow." She muttered.

"Please, try a bite." The doll encouraged. "You might like what you taste." Ella picked up the fork and knife and went to work in cutting off a good piece. She stuck her fork and took a bite…

A plethora of flavors exploded in her mouth, drawing her into a moan of pleasure as she chewed the piece of crepe. ' _Oh my gosh this tastes so good~.'_ She had her eyes closed and smiled in bliss, taking her time as she took another bite.

"I thought you could use a healthy meal to start your first day, Good Hunter."

"This is so good!" Ella said happily as she then took a drink of her orange juice. "How did you get so good at cooking?"

"I just know. I have no recollection of how I came upon that skill. I have to suppose Flora had something to do with it." Then she added with a slight bow: "I still do hope this will be enough to serve you well, Good Hunter."

"I appreciate that you're doing all this for me," she responded as she looked back up at her sympathetically, "but you don't have to be all formal with me. We're still friends, aren't we?" The doll had been there to comfort her sanity whenever she came back from the hunt. She would always listen, and would give such soothing advice whenever the Hunter had a crisis. Eventually, she formed a quiet bond of friendship with the doll, even though she knew the doll was only real within the dream. Now that she had been made real in reality (much to her shock), she still considered her as such.

"I know, but this is how I am." The doll made the faintest of smiles that only she could see. Ella smiled back and went back to enjoying her breakfast. The two remained silent, and she was almost done with her meal when she heard her Scroll going off in her bedroom. She got up out of her seat and quickly jogged to her room, just in time to answer it.

"Yes, who is it?" She asked on the Scroll/phone.

" _Good morning Ms. Fall, this is Port. I've called to be in need of assistance if you have the time."_ Another thing about being an assistant was she had to also help the other professors on whatever they need assistance in academically. She soon learned of that after reading the job description (which Ozpin had forgot to mention to her; either on purpose or otherwise), and although she was assigned to work with two professors, it did not mean she was exclusive to working with two.

"Of course, what is it that you need help with?"

" _Wonderful! I simply need your help in capturing a Boarbatusk for my Grimm studies class. Think you are up for the task?"_

"Yes, I'm up for it, but you're going to have to wait a bit, I just got up."

" _I understand, take your time but not too long, we have two hours to spare. I'll be waiting for you at the courtyard. Good day, Ms. Fall."_

"Good day." The line went dead and she soon went out to finish her breakfast in a quick manner.

"Who was that?" The doll asked as she watched her devour her breakfast.

"That was Professor Port." She explained after swallowing her food and finishing her drink. "He needs my help in capturing a Grimm."

"I see… and does capturing Grimm have to do with being a hunter?"

"Not really." she grabbed the dirty plate and used silverware and took them to the sink. "It's simply for Grimm studies."

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense." Ella then went to her room and gathered her clothes. After taking a quick and thorough cleanup and her Huntress uniform put on, she was soon out the door after 25 minutes.

"I'm heading out, take care." Ella bid farewell before closing the door behind her and headed out. The doll soon went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes, and planned out a new cleaning routine for the day.

* * *

Capturing a Grimm (mainly a boarbatusk) was almost easier said than done, but eventually, after fighting off a pack of beowolves and a few ursai, they eventually caught the boar Grimm by having it blindly rolling into the cage. They were now back on the courtyard, with the cage being carried away on a flat cart. Port was soon joined by Ella as they took the Grimm to the school, and soon to the back of his class for storage until class had started.

"Thank you again for the help, Ms. Fall," Port said when they were halfway to his class, "but I can handle the rest. You may want to head on to class then, and good luck on your first day!"

"Again, it was no problem." She smiled as she broke away from pushing the cage. "Good luck with your class as well, professor."

"Ha ha, you better believe it!"

As she went walking to the locker room she looked down at her watch, showing to her slight surprise that it was 8:36 AM. She did not have to worry much, though, the arena (which in fact was the amphitheater) was not that far, so she took a brisk walk down to the locker room at a slightly hastened pace. The room was built conveniently to the left and right of the amphitheater, so whenever a student is called upon to grab their weapons to make ready to battle, they would simply have to walk through the passageways and into the next room down the stairs. Thankful of her good thinking, she took advantage of its use and planned ahead by placing her staff uniform in her locker. She had this plan set up in case a call for assistance were to have come up before school had started, and when her assistance was all said and done, and with enough time, she would only have to go to her locker to change. The only thing she had to worry about was making sure no one was around.

Plus it did not hurt to thoroughly clean her locker before placing her uniform inside, that would have been awkward.

She was already outside, and just when she was halfway around to the locker room back door, left of the amphitheater, her Scroll suddenly went off. She answered the call and put it to her ear.

"Yes, who is it?" She asked.

" _It's me, Glynda. I'm calling because Ozpin had asked that I accompany him for the time being, so I'm going to need you to take over as a substitute until I come back."_

"I understand, I'll take care of it." She would be lying if she said she was not nervous about this. She was trained to teach and waited for the day she would take over teaching, though she did not expect it to be so soon. The only thing keeping her together was the reminder of Glynda and Eileen's sound advice.

" _Thank you, I know you will do just fine. Just follow what I had taught you, and the rest will go smoothly. The Scroll Pad and the earpiece will be lying on the podium for you to use. Good luck on your first day."_

"Thank you, and good day." She hung up her Scroll and hastened to the locker room. Luckily, no one was in there at this time, and after changing into her red dress uniform, she went into class four minutes before it had begun. Many students were already here, and she soon felt many eyes sighting down her way as she made her way to the podium. Some were seated while the others were just standing. Just as Glynda said, the unopened Scroll pad and the earpiece laid on the podium. She took them both off the podium, place the ear piece to her ear, pulled the tablet open as it automatically turned on, and proceeded to log herself in. She looked at the time clock on her tablet after logging in to show that it was 8:59 AM, and without further hesitance she made her way to the center stage.

She looked up at the crowd of mixed year students with little fear as most of them were focusing on idle conversation. She was fearful inside of failing her duty, but she swallowed down whatever fear she had in her, and when the clock struck 9, she breathed in before she attempted to gain all their attention.

"Ahem…," she tested the earpiece, and when the whole crowd heard her voice, they went silent, and looked to the single woman standing on stage. "Good morning everyone, and to the many who are returning here, welcome back." She welcomed with both confidence and smooth talking. "Normally professor Goodwitch would be the one conducting this class, but circumstances required her attention elsewhere. So she has left the position unto me as a substitute for the time being.

"I understand that many of you have not met me before, since I had taken this position three months ago. Well allow me to introduce myself." She then placed her free hand upon her chest in introduction. "I am lady Goodwitch's assistant; professor Ella Fall. And I expect to be given the same respect that you give to your teacher.

"Now before we begin; who among you are first years?" She saw individual hands rising up from the crowd, and soon counted about ten of them attending class. The hands that were together in a group of four were a full team attending, while the other hands raised were individually by themselves or with a pair. "I see, then I assume you all have come from a combat school. This class is exactly as its name suggests, but there is more to do in this class than simply beating each other up." She heard a few chuckles from the crowd. "As you all know, the Vytal tournament is coming up within a few months, so we will be going over the rules and spar types to help you prepare for the upcoming event. Now, are there any questions?"

Some first years raised their hands, and Ella quickly pick the one in front. "Yes, you."

"How do we join the tournament?" The first year Huntress-in-training asked.

"That is a good question," Ella replied. "you and your team can choose to join the tournament, but to participate, your team must qualify in both skill and teamwork in order to compete. Which is why this class, and the other arenas we have in this school will help you all to push yourselves to be better. Next question." They raised their hands, and this time there were a few. "Yes, you."

"What kind of sparring matches will we be going through ma'am?" Asked the first year Huntsman-in-training.

"You will all be going through three types of matches: the team matches, where two teams will be sparring against each other. The doubles match, where teams of two teammates compete against the other. And the most common of all; the singles match. These categories are part of the tournament, and we will be explaining this more in detail in the future.

"Now, are there anymore questions?" No one else but one raised their hands. "Yes?"

"I never heard of an assistant before, what is that?" The third year Huntsman-in-training asked.

"An assistant is a lower ranked staff member who works under whichever professor they are assigned to. They assist in whatever is needed to get done, and when there is a time when the professor they work for is away on assignment, they are expected to take over as a substitute until that professor returns. We do not always work exclusively to one staff member, however. We work with more than one professor on whatever task they need help in getting done. Does that answer your question?"

"So you're not really a Huntress but more of a servant?" He answered/asked rather sarcastically. Ella was not amused.

"I chose that position and had to earn it through initiation, just like everyone else," she explained in a calm, no nonsense tone. "Meaning I had to fight through a horde of Grimm and alphas, kill a King Taijitu from the inside, and slay a giant nevermore. All to simply grab a relic and then head back in one piece."

The crowd went into muttering amongst each other of this new information. None of them knew anything about professors having to go through initiation to earn their place, but then again they did work as hunters back in the day, so it should have come as no surprise. Still, hearing about a King Taijitu being killed from the inside was unsettling, and something no one would have expected to hear. The students looked upon their substitute teacher with newfound respect.

But the conversation was not yet over: "So if you did all that fighting, then you wouldn't refuse me if I challenged you to a duel?" This he said loudly with a boastful grin, pointing a finger towards Ella.

This request had made Ella's eyebrow twitch upwards in curiosity. Glynda once explained to her that students had the right to challenge their teachers to a fight only for educational purposes. Although facing a teacher in combat is downright madness given the real difference between master and pupil; in this way, the student would be able understand what he or she is truly lacking in from the teachers observation during combat. When it comes to academic improvement, it had been seen as the best way to understand oneself. Many students today would not dare fight a teacher for that purpose, all because of Glynda's Semblance. This time their substitute teacher did not look to be a show-stopper.

"And may I ask why you wish to battle me, Mr...?" She asked, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Arver. Roy Arver." This he said with the assurance of someone who had practiced his lines. "I'm a third year student, and I want to know my flaws and weaknesses. Who better than you to teach me?" He then crossed his arms and waited for her answer with the beginning of a smile on his lips, everyone else suddenly shocked into silence and also waiting to see how she would answer.

After a small bit of consideration on her part she finally made her answer.

"All right, I'll accept your duel," she responded stoically. She had no need to fear about explosives ruining the stage floor. She had already seen time and time again how absolutely resilient the floor was to explosive Dust. "Let's go and grab our own gear and make ready then."

He did not need to be told twice as he left the amphitheater at a quickened pace, a small, leering smile being shown on his face as he went to change. Meanwhile Ella went into thinking of what weapons to use for this duel.

After almost seven minutes of preparations, both teacher and student soon stood on the amphitheater's stage (being used as the arena floor), but Ella was rather away from the stage as she went about setting up the fight. She had the Aura bars on the holographic display, setting up a barrier to keep the bullets and debris from flying into the crowd, and soon went about controlling the lights — all were soon shut off except for the ones focusing solely on the stage, giving the combatants the illusion of being just the two of them alone. Ella soon appeared under the lights, without her earpiece, and still in her uniform save for the change in flexible leggings and her weapons of choice; simply two wooden batons, with their ends being wrapped around in leather to form as the handle.

Only now, without the crowd getting in the way, did she examine her challenger. By the look of him, he was just as tall as most of the people in the amphitheater at 5'6". He had fair skin, brown eyes, and his red hair was unkempt with a blue bandana wrapped around his head. His attire was unusual: he wore a red undershirt, a zipped up orange and blue hooded sweatshirt, cargo jeans, combat shoes and black fingerless gloves. His armor consisted partially in straps of iron armor covering vital areas such as his chest, shoulders, arms and legs.

"So," she started, "want me to go easy on you, or hold nothing back?"

"Hold nothing back. I can handle it." There was confidence in his reply as he got into his combat stance and brought out his weapons of choice: two shortened auto shotguns painted in a mix of blue and orange, with their buttstocks being shortened for better handling. What they would shift into she could not tell right away.

"Alright then," she gave a hidden smirk as she got down into her combat stance. "Ready… Begin!"

Roy was the first to quickdraw on the attack as they shot out Ice Dust pellets. Of course, at the same time Ella for her part had used her Old Hunter's Bone, hidden beneath her attire to activate her quickening ability as she instantly dodged the ice pellets in a trailing cloud of smoke. He tried to get a hit on her, but she was too fast as she dodged two more rounds, unsheathed her batons and landed several blows, forcing him to jump back to recover. Ella pressed her advantage and dashed in for another hit; this time he reacted faster, managing to parry the onslaught with his weapons and shove her away. Again he tried to get a bead on her, and again she scurried out of the way and the pellets hit nothing but air.

Roy was beginning to regret letting her go all out, but the moment he was aware of it he refused to give in, anxious to prove himself to his team. Ella had forced him to fight defensively, dodging his shots, darting in, landing a hit, and pulling back before he could retaliate, and in this fashion she had worn down his Aura by a half. Anger swamped him and took control, and when the substitute teacher dashed in for another strike, he jumped back, had his guns shift into twin axes, and parried the blow to again shove her backwards. Only now, he did not try to hit her with his guns, as it had proved ineffective, but instead swung his axes at her, frustration lending further strength to his attack as he tried to pry open her defenses.

The shift from ranged combat to melee would have surprised Ella before, but it was now that the endless practice matches with Eileen proved worth the time and sweat invested, as her reflexes took charge without conscious thought on her part and her sticks absorbed his assault, her Aura protecting them from the edges of Roy's weapons. Student and teacher clashed again and again, as they each blocked, dodged and prodded for openings, and it did not take long for her to see the patterns on his fighting style and tailor hers to counter him.

Once again Roy was forced on the defense, and despite his training amongst his team and against other Hunters-in-training, he was falling behind in keeping up with her aggression. He did not want to lose to another teacher, especially one who was a substitute. He did however have one more card up his sleeve, and he just had to time this right to get things back in his favor. He shoved her back again, harder this time to give him room as he purposely dropped his guard, and when Ella charged in to finish the job, he smirked when he activated his Semblance.

His Aura glowed orange, then the sound of a thunderbolt erupted, and a powerful concussive shockwave tossed Ella away and sent her careening and tumbling back. The impact stunned her briefly, but she snapped out of it and flipped herself back up mid tumble. 'That must be his Semblance,' she thought, 'but why didn't he use it earlier?'

Roy did not give her time to improvise a response. He dashed towards her and again triggered his Semblance. Again she was blown away, and managed to skid to a halt a mere few steps away from the edge of the arena. She had to get out of there, lest he knocked her off the battlefield and won the match, so as he again charged her and triggered the concussive blast she activated her Old Hunter Bone and teleported away from him. Sloppily, as it turned out; in her haste to move to a more advantageous position she had miscalculated the distance, and was hit again by another shockwave.

Roy's smirk grew wider, becoming more confident and arrogant that he would finally be the top dog again here. He had pushed her to the edge of the stage, and all it would take was one more hard push to do so.

"Time to end this!" He said arrogantly as he brandished his axes before charging in to finish the job in style. He jumped into the air with his axes raised high behind his head, ready to bring them down on her to damage her Aura before pushing her out of the arena. Instead of standing her ground like he planned, however, she dashed away from him right before he used his Semblance, being far enough away along the edge of the stage and leaving Roy at somewhat of a loss.

Ella stayed crouched, eyes narrowed at her opponent, her mind racing of what to do. Soon she moved sideways, and Roy started moving as they went in circles. Still reeling in the reason why he did not activate his Semblance sooner, she went over what she had learned from him. She was obviously the superior one when it came to close quarters combat, her brutal training under Eileen having paid off, but his Force Pulse trumped that advantage. Whenever they got close to each other he would glow, and she had to back away, lest she was buffeted by another concussion. But then a thought struck her: he could no doubt trigger such pulses with ease, but how often? Maybe he had to wait a bit before he could call upon it again?

She ran toward him, her training batons held in reverse grip as she activated her Quickening again. Roy charged in next with his axes at the ready, and soon they clashed again. Ella parried an attack and swung her baton to his face in retaliation, but that was blocked by his quick reaction and shoved the weapon from her, leaving her looking wide open to attack as he swung his axe at her. She dodged the swing but had to quickly redirect a shotgun pointed at her face as she smacked the weapon aside right before he pulled the trigger. He missed his target, and got punched in the stomach by her baton before being struck on his left cheek from her other baton. She was about to continue her assault, but he immediately retaliated by activating his Semblance, making it her cue to back away. He exploded with a pulse, and it was mere inches away from her as she dashed back away. Just as the wave was disappearing within a millisecond she immediately dashed right back in, much to his surprise as he got kneed in the face.

1

She was counting the time in her head as she whacked his face twice with her batons and kicked him in the stomach to keep him off balance.

2

He tried to fight back and tried to push her back, but she would bat away his weapons and continue to assail him as she hit him in both the chest and face, and kicking him in the side.

3

His body began to glow, making it her cue again to fall back as the pulse exploded forth from him. Now she knew he had a flaw in his Semblance, and she exploited it mercilessly as she immediately dashed right back in. He was prepared this time. He had his axe ready in his right hand and a shotgun held up, pointed at the Huntress as he fired shot after shot at her, but she was too fast with her Quickening as she was up close and upon him again. He deflected a few strikes from her batons, and tried blasting her away at point blank range, but again her experience and Quickening ability outdid him as she went in circles around him.

The few seconds were up again and she dashed away from the short blast radius, only to dash right back in for another round. He tried a combination of attack and defense to try and regain what he had lost. He used both axes to keep her at bay, and when he managed to push her away he meca-shifted his axes to shotguns in one swift movement before firing them both at her, but she dodged from side to side, and when she came at him he launched himself off the floor with a boost from his guns as he was now above her. She looked up at him, he pointed his guns down at her and fired, but she neatly sidestepped and the shots missed her. He continued firing at her, but as he landed his guns clicked: he was out of shells, and he barely had time to change his guns back to axes when she came back for him. His weapons shifted too slow too late when she was in the air and gave him a flying hard kick to his chest. She knocked the air out of him and made him let go of his weapons as he went careening and skidded on the hard floor.

A horn blared, telling it was the end of the match.

He groggily got back up into a sitting position, frustrated at this new defeat. He looked around to see that she was nowhere in sight, but when the lights came back on a few moments later, he saw her standing near the podium with the Scroll pad in her arm as she then walked up to him.

"Your fighting style was commendable, if somewhat questionable," she stated as she walked up to him. He looked the other way, which made her raise her eyebrow, confused yet curious to know what was wrong. "Is something—"

"Excuse me! Coming through!" She was halted by someone pushing his way through the crowd of students. She looked out to see that this boy was coming towards the stage, and looked back to the downed student to see that he looked rather nervous for some reason. Once he was finally in view from the crowd and getting onto the stage, she could tell he looked to be angry at him. He had dark skin, sharp blue eyes and black hair. He wore a red vest, tan cargo shorts and combat shoes. He also wore black fingerless gloves with leather wrapped around his wrists.

"Hey, partner, uh…," Roy said nervously before getting bonked in the head. "Ow!"

"What did I tell you? Stop challenging every teacher you meet!" He scolded him.

"Excuse me, who are you?" She asked quietly, some irritation seeping into her voice.

He turned to face her and introduced himself. "My name is Sean Rockson, I'm the leader of team SRAW (straw). And this stubborn bonehead here—" he pointed behind him with his thumb, disapproval written in his face "—is my partner."

Roy tried to defend himself: "Oh, come on, it's not like you didn't want to either!"

"Yeah, well I'd rather be smart about it and get stronger by working as a team!" Rockson back.

"You said he's challenged other teachers before?" Ella asked Sean.

"Yeah, but it's not just this school. He's been challenging teachers since he attended a combat school, and since then he's been learning everything the hard way."

Roy grumbled something unintelligible, but she ignored it and addressed him: "So what would've happened if you did manage to beat me?"

"Well, uh, I would've been proud that I've gotten strong enough." He answered nervously. It was only a half-truth, and his team leader was not amused:

"Actually, he'd be gloating about it for the next month," he 'clarified' deadpan.

"What the heck, man?!" Roy exploded angrily.

"Is this true?" She asked Roy as she looked down at him sternly.

"Well, um… yeah. It's true."

"Is that so," she noted in a perfectly neutral voice that nonetheless sent a shiver down Roy's spine. Then she let out a long breath. "Look at me." Slowly he obeyed, dreading what he would find on Ella's gaze.

But he did not expect these words from her: "You fought well, caught me by surprise a couple of times and managed to last for quite some time, but there was one thing you were lacking in. And do you know what it is?"

He pondered for a little bit before giving a guess. "Uh, better reaction times?"

"No. Observation." She watched him, expecting his expression to lighten up, but puzzlement knotted his brow, so she explained: "To win a battle, one must observe their foe while in combat. In doing so, you'll learn their style, their fighting patterns, even their Semblance when given the chance. And once you find a fault in their abilities, you exploit it. Just like I did when I fought you.

"So when faced with an opponent who is powerful, simply improvise and observe before making your move. But be warned, your opponent will be learning about you, too, so it's a race — whoever finds their opponent's weakness first wins. Do you understand?"

He pondered on the words for a bit, but then he changed his demeanor which kind of weirded her out.

"Wow, that was the best advice anyone has ever given to me." He then clasped his hands and brightened up at her, weirding her out that he changed his demeanor so quickly. "You're the best!"

She gave him a quizzical look and hesitatingly replied, "You're… er, welcome…" Then she turned to his partner: "Is he usually like this?"

"Yeah, there's something I forgot to mention," he explained. "He respects strength."

"I see." Then she coughed into her closed fist. "I appreciate the respect, but I believe we need to continue with class."

Sean nodded. "Yeah." Then he looked down at his still sitting partner and pulled him up. "Come on, Roy, let's get off the stage."

"Okay I'm coming." He replied with annoyance as they got off the stage/arena. What the two did not realize, to everyone's shocked expression, that while Roy's Aura was in the red, Ella's Aura looked as if it did not go down even an inch. It was all thanks to her fire Dust infused fingerless gloves (which no one even noticed) that she was able to gain her victory. Even if Roy did manage to make a dent in her Aura, she would secretly use one of her gloves to replenish her Aura.

Then she turned to address the crowd of students as she typed away at the pad. "Okay, let's have this class back in session, shall we?" She typed in the commands as she continued. "We will still be having the singles matches, and this time it will be through random selection." The holographic screen was switched from the Aura meter to a pictured list of attending students, spinning like a slot machine until the names had stopped. "Zachary Opal and Tanner Brown," she called, "please go change and return here."

* * *

After almost an hour of watching students combat each other and the substitute addressing their strengths and what to improve upon, the bell finally rung initiating the end of this hour's class. Ella walked to the podium to set the ScrollPad down and return her training batons to the locker room when she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around to be greeted by her superior, Glynda Goodwitch.

"Oh, Glynda, it's nice to see you," Ella greeted with a smile. "Don't worry, I had everything under control."

"Are you sure?" Glynda questioned. "I can say with confidence that you can teach rather well, but your fight with Roy was… questionable."

"What do you mean questionable… and how did you know about that?"

"Me and Ozpin were watching you through our Scrolls," she explained. "The real reason I did not come earlier was to see how well you can handle the students on your own. you've done well, but I would recommend avoiding combat with the students for now."

"But didn't you say a student can challenge a teacher to a duel for the sake of education?"

She nodded yet quietly sighed at the reminder. "That I did, but Roy is somewhat of a different story. Plus from what I've seen, you were using your Semblance in secret to win your battle. A bit underhanded, don't you think?"

"Fights are never fair when on the hunt," she defended.

Glynda sighed in resignation. "I suppose it's true to some degree, but this isn't a hunt. From now on, you are not to duel any of the students without my permission, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." She agreed as she nodded.

Glynda then looked towards the entrance to see the next crowd of students coming in. "We'll talk more about this later. My Scroll Pad and earpiece, please." The professor extended her hand, waiting for what is hers.

"Here you go." She set them both onto her hands, and right away began logging herself in and setting the earpiece to her ear.

"Well done with using the Scroll Pad by the way." She complimented.

She nodded and stood next to her superior while everyone was gathering. Now that she was no longer the substitute, her job now would be to assist in a number of ways. From showing combat demonstrations to breaking up fights after combat, to make certain that order shall remain intact. It may not be the most exciting job besides watching the fights between students, but it does give her insight into what each Hunter-in-training was capable of.

She was still in her musings when…

"Hey!" The familiar voice of a young girl called out and reached her ears, breaking her out of her train of thought as she found the source to be Ruby Rose along with her team. She was waving her hand to get Ella's attention, giving her a jubilant smile that was adorably infectious. Ella chuckled under her breath as she smiled softly and waved back. The girl was quite satisfied to have gotten her attention, but when she looked at her partner Weiss, who looked rather to be lost in thought, she went into some realization and went silent, putting on a face that seemed impassive but focused. That made Ella cock an eyebrow curiously at her quick change in behavior.

As soon as everyone was accounted for this hour's class, Glynda began to speak.

"Good morning, students," she announced with such kindness for a teacher, "and for the first years present; welcome to Beacon."

* * *

School was long over, and Ella was walking down the academy's halls, heading back to her apartment while in thought. Today's first day of combat class was an interesting experience to behold to her, especially when given the upclose knowledge of what the students were currently capable of. Although she pridefully would claim that none of them could hold a candle to her and those working here, she still reminded herself… that they are students, handpicked and willing to learn and train to become the best they can be.

Throughout her hours of being Glynda's assistant, she had watched and analyzed many students combating each other, visually learning their strengths and weaknesses. She did get to witness a few students she was familiar with attend to combat, with two particular students being very eager in some way which would either amuse or disturb her, depending on anyone else's point of view.

During the second hour of class, Yang took to the arena stage, and from the Good Hunter's observation, the blonde haired brawler was every bit the unarmed fighter, and probably better so than the others, save for her shotgun gauntlets/bracelets. She was strong, skillful and capable but rather reckless. Her strength in her punches comes from her Semblance to what she had gleaned from Glynda. The girl could take damage and then give it back even harder, and although it costs Aura when taking damage, the growing damage she gives back was more than enough to compensate for that weakness. That may have been her greatest strength, but her other weaknesses come from that of her fiery attitude and fighting style. She mostly uses her fists more than her feet, so anyone with more agility on their feet or have a martial art that counters her skill set would give her a hard time. She was also a hot head, and her anger can be a volatile issue in combat, making her more unpredictable, as shown on the video with her battle with the two Ursas. She instantly became enraged and on fire all because one of them took a strand of her hair, and Ella had thought that if someone acted as a serious nuisance to her she could blow a gasket, too.

The girl needs to control her temper, to use her anger as a weapon while keeping herself focused. If not, then she would be bound to realize a painful reality.

After lunch hour, the next hour of class had team JNPR among them. Nora took the arena floor rather in a near instant when she sent her opponent flying off the stage with her giant mechanized hammer. The Good Hunter had to admit she was pretty strong to achieve such a feat of strength. She fleetingly wondered what kind of workout routine she took everyday to be strong while staying in that sort of shape. Her strength, her wild personality, and her weapon can do some major damage on the battlefield, but her wild demeanor makes her a loose cannon, and if left unchecked she could do more harm to her team than to her enemies. That was why Ren was her partner. He knew her better than anyone, and would know how to keep her in check. The Huntress-in-training had yet to show her Semblance, so she could not say or what to make of it.

The next member of team JNPR took to the arena, and the one Huntsman-in-training who puzzled her since this afternoon; Jaune Arc. His fight against Sky Lark was very much one-sided to her obvious surprise. He made no tactical plan, no defensive or attack strategy, and his fighting style was a mess. He tried to put up a good fight by charging in and hoping for the best result, but that always ended in failure. She had yet to even _see_ his Semblance in action. She wondered how and why he was here, but perhaps it was simply bad luck on his part. The only hope she had for him was to improve his prowess in combat in the weeks to come.

As she pondered on, she stopped and perked up when she suddenly came across someone very familiar by random chance. It was Weiss Schnee, being lost in thought just as before as she walked alone, but she looked more puzzled, troubled perhaps, and by the way she had one hand under her elbow and her other rubbing her chin. She remembered her conversation with professor Port during lunch hour. Apparently, Weiss was upset with Ruby's position as leader, as was evident during and after her volunteered battle with the boarbatusk. So when Weiss suddenly found him by chance and explained to him what she thought, he gave her a verbal dose of reality. So he suggested that instead of fretting on what she did not have, she should savor what she currently did have. To hone her skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person she can be.

Such wise words to live by in her opinion, and it was the right thing to cut her down a peg to see the reality of being outside and away from home. This time Ella had the chance to know what was on the girl's mind, and perhaps guide her.

"Good evening, Weiss," Ella greeted as she had her hands folded in front and slightly bowed. That got the heiress out of her thoughts in surprise as she looked up from the floor.

"Hm? Oh! Greetings. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Fall." Weiss greeted formally in kind as she made a curtsy in return.

"The pleasure is all mine, though I'm curious. Where is your team? Shouldn't you be with them?"

"I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, to figure out what I should do for the time being." She answered cryptically, but the Hunter knew what and who she was referring to.

"I see, and does this have to do with Ruby Rose perhaps?" Weiss faltered with her eyes widened with short surprise. Just as the surprise came it quickly disappeared as she recomposed herself.

"It is, but how did you know?" She asked.

"I would call it a woman's intuition," she shrugged, "but Professor Port explained to me what happened while on lunch." then she turned and gestured forward in the direction the girl was going. "May I join you?"

She nodded, and the two walked through the halls together as Ella continued. "So, if I may ask; what's on your mind, miss Schnee?"

"I've been pondering on what to do," she answered. "How I can contribute to the team."

"Hmm, have you also thought of a way to reconcile with your partner?"

"I, well… I haven't gone that far yet." She admitted, then her expression turned to being a little irritable. "I mean, how am I suppose to deal with a leader who doesn't seem to look past her childish nature?"

"Weiss, she's fifteen." She reminded. "So of course she's not exactly at that age just yet. You know, I was a little surprised that you could get angered so easily by a child." She smirked a bit at the jab she made.

Weiss softly growled at the comment as she looked up at the assistant professor with narrowed eyes as the assistant professor continued. "You must admit, though, she does have the capability, but her potential is untapped. Now if only someone were to guide her to better herself as a leader…" She left those words hanging for the girl to figure out, and she did not have to wait long when the heiress perked up in realization.

"Then who better to guide her than her partner." She finished, astonished that she did not figure that out sooner. She suddenly stopped, followed by the Hunter as well as the girl slightly bowed with her hand on her chest in thanks. "Thank you so much professor."

She still smiled softly as she bowed back. "It was no problem, just thought I'd give my two cents. But I would suggest that you go and talk to her soon."

"I will, I just need to clear things up before I do."

The Hunter nodded in approval. "Well then, I suppose I must go. It was a pleasure to speak with you." She bowed before walking the opposite direction. Weiss continued on to where she was going when suddenly…

"And Weiss?" The girl turned around curiously to see her looking back at her. "Try to be the best teammate she'll ever have. Good night, miss Schnee." And after that, they walked their separate ways. Ella walked through the halls to her apartment while Weiss continued to be in thought, this time with a clearer mind than before until she eventually went back to her team's dorm that night.

* * *

 _It was nighttime. The back alleys were damp in this time of the night. Meanwhile, Ella sat hunched up against the damp wall, covered in dirty clothes and a tattered cloak that was not hers. She had her naked hand out, with her palm turned upside down as she tried to concentrate on her Semblance, trying desperately to summon that flame to keep her warm for the night. She did not think it would be this hard to do so, but after spending several nights surviving the streets of this city, she realized it was more complicated than that._

 _So after opening her eyes and seeing that she had not summoned a flame, she sighed and tried again. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her Aura, believing it was the only way to make it work. Suddenly, there was a flicker in her blackened vision. This flicker motivated her to keep concentrating, and the flickers became more frequent until it soon had become what looked like a solid, warm flame. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at her success, but she frowned when it reminded her. She was cursed with what she discovered, and she grew to hate yet needed what she had in order to survive._

 _While concentrating on the small flame she conjured engulfing her hand, there were somewhat quiet, crunching footsteps reaching her ears. She gasped under her breath in fear, so she extinguished the flame and prepared to escape when she hesitated and looked at her would be attacker._

" _Well now. Never thought I would see sorcery like yours in this day and age," said the stranger. He sounded rather rustic, perhaps middle aged, and spoke in a strangely pleasant tone she had never thought to hear from anyone, but she still remained wary of him, ready to run if he made any sudden move. The stranger seemed to notice her tenseness, and he raised his hand up to try to show he meant no harm, but she was just about ready to run the other way when he spoke again._

" _No need to be scared of me little girl, I did not come here to hurt you. In fact…." He lowered himself to one knee. "I've been looking for a talent like yours."_

 _Ella looked at this stranger kneeling in front of her, uncertain of what to do. She put one foot backwards before a question formed in her mind. "What do you want with me?"_

" _What I want?" He asked himself to her. "Well, you don't seem to have a roof over your head now do you?" The dark haired girl lowered her guard a bit as she broke eye contact with the man, looking away as she looked down in both embarrassment and shame. He saw the action as his answer as he then continued. "All I want is to take you in as my own, to raise you as my own. But more than that, I want to take you in as my apprentice."_

 _That got her to be a bit stunned and curious as she looked back at him again. "Apprentice? What do you mean?"_

" _I mean what I said," he replied. "This world can be a dangerous and unforgiving place, even for a child such as yourself. You come with me, and I will teach you the means in which to live. I'm what they call… a professional. Someone who has the skills to get things done. Things that people would never have the courage to do."_

" _You mean… like a hero?" She asked as she relaxed more. The name 'professional' reminded her of the stories of Huntsmen her mother told her. Heroes who fought with amazing skill and strength against an army of monsters and lived. Could this be what he was talking about she wondered. Of course, it had to be… right?_

" _In a way… yes." He answered, though with hidden crypticism. "So then…" He stood up and extended his hand out to her. "Do you wish to stay here and wallow in misery? Or will you come with me. And become something more?"_

 _She looked at the hand given to her. She did not want to trust him, but again it felt like she did not have many options to choose. All she wanted was a roof over her head, but more than that she wanted to go home. She knew she could not, however, for she knew there was no way back. After a bit of consideration, she reached out and accepted her new fate._

" _A wise choice," he said as they soon walked together hand-in-hand out of the alleyway, and under the pale moonlit night. "From this night on, you will be my apprentice. Until the day you surpass me."_

* * *

She opened her eyes, blinked a few times and casually got up into a sitting position. She went into recollecting as she thought back to the dream she had, pondering as to how she ended up that way, living in one of the city alleyways wearing dirty rags. She then thought about the stranger, who offered her to live with him in exchange for being his apprentice of all things. Apprentice to what she wondered. He looked vaguely familiar yet her memory was foggy on the details, with the walls and the dark of night shadowing his face. All she could tell visibly, if barely, was the red eyepatch he wore over his left eye. She still had to wonder though, when did this—

 **Beep, Beep—**

The blaring noise of the alarm clock jolted her by surprise to see that it was 7 A.M. She growled under her breath for the interruption and turned off the alarm. She sighed, there would be a time for such thoughts on that later. She had a job to do and had to get ready. So she got herself out of bed and, as she resisted the smell of the delicious breakfast being cooked, did her usual morning exercises, getting herself ready to greet the new day of classes.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, it's finally done. Sorry for taking a long while to do this, but my job got in the way, and I was transferred to help out with preparations for a grand reopening, and I had an idea for a new fic that had been going on in my head for some time, so I had to write most of it down. Trust me, I'm not going to lose this story out of lacking interest.**

 **Anyways, Ella on her first day of class, though she had to take over for the first hour of course. Plus her interaction with Weiss. What do you think of the conversation? Did I put in her character correctly, or was I off character with her?**

 **It's been a while since Ella had a dream/memory, so I figured it would a good a place as any to write this in. Now another piece to the puzzle of Ella's past, but now even more questions pop up than there are answers. How did she end up this way? Who is this mysterious stranger who took her in? And what profession is he referring to (although you probably might guess it)? All will be revealed eventually through the chapters that will come.**

 **Recently I had a thought. Since I've written several story ideas for later on in the future after I'm done with this story, I had begun to think that perhaps I can take another step and write two stories. If you're interested let me know in the review. I have several of them, but I will only pick three for you to read and decide. If need be I'll set up a poll for you guys to vote which story interests you the most, and whichever the three has the most votes becomes the second story.**

 **Credit goes to CruxMDQ for his proof reading and suggestions. I recommend you check his story "Starwatch", a crossover between Mass Effect and Overwatch that has good detail in tactical battles, drama, and a good storyline in general. So if you got the chance check him out.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Weeks later

Under the spotlight of the arena, Jaune in his battle gear hunched over in exhaustion. Meanwhile on the other side, a man who was taller than the boy, more muscled and had brown buzz cut hair, wearing nearly full plated armor with the symbol of a bird emblazoned on his chest piece, was standing there casually looking down at him while his customized two-handed mace rested on his shoulder.

"Come on…," Jaune muttered in exasperation while he heard him laughing at his pathetic attempts. Determined to keep going he charged with a war cry, ready to strike him with his sword raised up, but the armored man casually dodged out of the way. Jaune turned around in shock, but was too slow to raise his shield up when he got bashed away by the underhanded swing of his opponent's mace. Jaune's shield flew out of his hands and he tumbled along the floor. With only his sword now gripped in both of his hands as he quickly got back up, he charged at him again with the same warcry as he swung his sword overhead, but it was blocked by the haft of the opponent's mace.

In the deadlock, his opponent, with his muscles overpowering Jaune's, leaned into his face.

"This is the part where you lose."

"Over my dead- _eugh!_ " His retort was cut short when a plated knee dug into his stomach. A follow-up backhand sprawled him on the ground. Still gripping his sword close to himself, Jaune could do nothing but watch as the man lifted his mace up to deliver the blow-

"Cardin, that's enough," Glynda ordered after the buzzer went off. The main lights focusing on the arena were turned off and the rest of the lights were turned back on, revealing all the viewing students attending class.

Glynda walked up passed the two fighters and addressed the other students watching. Ella meanwhile was being every bit the face of stoicism, while on the inside she was trying not to cringe at Jaune's repeated defeat.

'He's been doing the same pathetic tactic over and over, why is he not learning?!' She was mentally grinding her teeth, scolding the blonde boy's inability to learn from his mistakes.

"Students," said Glynda, "as you can see Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle and that the official may call the match." Then she addressed Jaune himself, as he sat on the ground in defeat: "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now, please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack or when it is better to move on to a more… defensive strategy."

He sighed when looking at his Scroll, showing his aura flashing red, and while listening to her advice… again.

"We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a _beowolf_ , now would we?" Glynda added jokingly — trying to take the sting off her previous words, it seemed to him. But the attempt only succeeded on twisting the knife in the wound.

Cardin, for his part, looked down on him unamused, knowing the blonde idiot would never learn. "Speak for yourself..." He swung the mace from the floor to rest on his shoulders as he then walked to the locker room to store his weapon.

Glynda turned to address the crowd of students again. "Remember everyone! The Vytal festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale."

"Yes mistress!" came the enthusiastic reply. The students were getting excited at the prospect of facing other Hunters-in-training from across the world.

Then the bell rang, signalling the end of class and the beginning of lunch hour. The students got up from their seats and started leaving, except for Jaune. He still sat motionless on the cold, hard arena floor, head bent over his chest, eyes staring blankly ahead, a voice in his head whining again, asking why he had even come here in the first place. He sighed again, not realizing somebody walking up to him from behind.

"Hey," Ella announced to him calmly as she walked around him. He looked up in slight surprise to see the assistant professor standing over him. "I'm sure you'll get your chance next time." She said this as she extended her hand out to him.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." He accepted the assistance and was pulled up onto his feet.

"Just be sure to use your combat instincts and your brain instead of valor and all brawn." She lectured him with the same stoicism as before, although she had told him this once before.

Much to her irritation.

She turned and walked from the stage, leaving the boy to his thoughts. She soon went out the door alongside Glynda as they head to the cafeteria's kitchen. Once out of sight from the students, Ella's face turned to irritation and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"There's something on your mind, isn't there." Glynda noticed.

"Let's just get to the break room." She grumbled.

* * *

Ella set her paper cup of tea on the table as she tried to calm her mind off of this morning. Her own gathered meal had been half eaten by now, and across from her, Glynda ate quietly and patiently for her to explain whatever was on her mind, although she may already know what (or perhaps who) she was thinking about.

"It's that Jaune fellow, isn't it," she asked.

Ella sighed, indicating it was the right answer. "It's been weeks, Glynda, weeks which he could have improved. Has there ever been any Hunter-in-training who had this kind of problem?"

"Well…," she contemplated back to her years of teaching, coming up with remembering more than a few students who she believed were like him one time or another. "I do remember some students who were like him in some ways, but I would mostly just chalk it up to stubbornness. Eventually they did get better in the long run."

"Has there been anyone who dropped out?"

"Very few I think. I would assume it was because of the stress, but there were those who were expelled due to bad behavior."

"Speaking of bad behavior, did you know team CRDL has been bullying everyone since day one? I even caught them harassing the Faunus whenever I ran into them by chance."

"I've noticed this, too, though I'm not surprised. I caught Cardin launching one of the rocket propelled lockers with Jaune inside of one."

"Really, how far did he crash from the school?"

"Not far fortunately. I had to reprimand Cardin though for misusing the lockers."

She then raised an eyebrow. "I get the feeling he's not going to listen."

Glynda sighed, knowing she was right about that. "Perhaps so."

"Maybe we should have him and his team expelled? It could spare the trouble." She suggested.

"Sadly we cannot. They would have to do something very stupid or very dangerous to the students and the school itself in order to be expelled, otherwise we cannot do so."

She huffed at the answer as she looked back down at her half eaten food, but then a thought came to her from a flashback to the orphanage, to when she punched the teeth out of that bully named Rodric. Perhaps, in her mind, that some discipline should be in order. She looked up to Glynda again, seeing her going back to eating her meal when she finally broke the silence again. "I was wondering, do you think we can—?"

"Ahem, excuse me for interrupting ladies," said a voice with a rapid fire tone, "but I could not help but overhear your conversation about Jaune and Cardin." As he spoke they both looked in his direction to see a tall, skinny man with messy green hair and brown eyes hidden behind his opaque round glasses. His attire was described as, for lack of better words, disheveled and disorganized, with his white shirt partly tucked in around his dark green pants, and wearing mismatched brown and black shoes. He wore a slack, yellow tie which stood out like a sore thumb with his shirt collar standing straight somewhat. He also had a black band around his right arm which Ella found puzzling.

The speed talking, extremely hyperactive, coffee loving man was none other than Beacon's expert historian, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck.

"Yes we were, Bart." Glynda responded. "I take it you have problems with them, too?"

"As a matter-of-fact I do." He said firmly as he takes a quick sip of his thermos before continuing. "Throughout the weeks, I've been catching Jaune failing to contribute half the time during my lectures. And as for Cardin… I have seen him to be a bit disruptive to his fellow classmates."

"I think a 'bit' would be an understatement, Doctor." Ella retorted. Still, she could not help but be quietly appalled that Jaune would be acting so average, in history class of all places. Ella herself tried to be very attentive in his class, soaking in as much knowledge from his lectures as much as she could. The way he glides about the room at super speeds she was able to keep track of him, but his rapid speech going at what sounded like fifty miles per hour had given her somewhat of a hard time keeping up with. It took enough time during the weeks that she was able to keep up with his wording.

Oobleck was about to argue on that subject when he was suddenly interrupted. "I, too, have caught them both sleeping during my lectures one time or another." Said the portly professor sitting across from them. "But I'm certain they were attentive enough in my class."

The expert in Grimm studies and survival class was none other than Peter Port, the man with the most majestic mustache anyone would ever encounter.

'One time or another,' Ella mentally asked idly with a hint of annoyance. The times she took his classes were nearly boring. She once tried to take every word in his teaching seriously, but his dragging-on with stories of his youth took up more time than actually teaching her more about Grimm that he pushed her to the point of nearly falling asleep. It was only then did she finally spot the hidden meanings and morals behind his stories that she paid more attention. Not that she had to enjoy them, mind you, and it did get a bit annoying when he exaggerated on them. Unbeknownst to her (or perhaps she had a feeling), the professor and doctor were thinking the same thing.

"Okay. I'll bite. So what would you do if they did not? Give them a verbal warning?" Ella asked.

"To me, I would give them a good lecture and punish them with a written ten page assignment. Works every time." Oobleck answered, then he took another sip from his thermos.

"Ha," Port scoffed. "If I had my way, I would take them out to the emerald forest for some disciplinary team building exercises. Show them how to be their better selves." He answered with boastful pride as he placed his fist upon his chest.

"Wait, that doesn't sound like punishment but more like improving the team." Ella replied quizzically. "What kind of disciplinary exercises do you have in place?"

Port had made ready to explain, but professor Goodwitch had beaten him to it. "It's mostly survival training on a more difficult level, and dangerously so depending his choice of rules to punish them." She then huffed and shook her head in disapproval as she continued. "I still do not understand why Ozpin would allow such a thing to be instated."

"That's because, my dear Goodwitch, that it is better to show them the error in their ways through action rather than words." He explained his logic with confidence.

"I still do not agree no matter how you say it." She refused.

"Then what would your kind of punishment be like, Professor?" Ella asked, curious to know since she never brought it up. While spending three months under their wing, Glynda had taught her both sternly and patiently. Whenever she did something wrong, she would only get lectured. But never in her months here had the professor or any of them ever told her about school punishment.

"Well. mine would be cleaning the floors," she answered. That had her looking at the professor with a questioning look until she added. "Of the entire amphitheater."

Now that made her feel a little concerned. "Don't you think that's a little… extreme?"

"That only depends on the circumstances and on how much trouble they cause," she explained.

"Hm, that would be considered above normal school punishment in my opinion." Oobleck scoffed as he to another quick sip of his coffee. Then a thought occurred to him as he turned his attention on Ella. "Speaking of performances, I overheard that you struggled against a third year student on your first day. Care to explain to me how and why?"

The other professors focused their attention on the assistant professor, with Peter wondering how on Remnant that Ella, an assistant professor and apprentice to Eileen, and a highly skilled Huntress who was nearly the equal to that of the elite, would struggle against a mere third year student.

Meanwhile Ella was silent, collecting her thoughts before giving her answer. "The boy claimed to want to learn through fighting me, so I gave him what he wanted," she answered neutrally. "Defeating him in an instant would have taught him nothing, so that's why I held myself back to almost his level. Does that answer your question?"

"So this was the reason you only used Quickening instead of using your Heat Absorption Semblance?" Glynda asked.

The Good Hunter nodded. "Yes, though I merely used my Semblance out of precaution. One would never know who you might go up against."

"I see," Peter mused. "Although you did not know that Roy tends to be tenacious and stubborn. I, too was challenged by him in the same way. Though in the end his ego had gotten the better of him."

"His team leader did say he had been fighting his superiors since combat school." She mused as she tilted her head a bit to the side in thought. "I can understand the logic behind it, but I still think it's rather foolish of him to continue doing so."

"Well that's just Roy for you," Glynda concluded neutrally. "I do have a feeling he might challenge you again to learn something new, but we will have to wait and see."

She nodded before sticking her fork into her food. "As much as I would like to continue this conversation, I think I should get back to finishing my meal, if you don't mind."

The rest agreed and went back to finishing their own. After a while she finished her plate and went out of the room to return them. She told Glynda she would be waiting at the amphitheater before leaving. Just when she was out the door, she came across Jaune already walking out of the cafeteria having a distracted look on him.

"Is everything alright, Jaune?" She asked in civil concern.

He looked up a little surprised and replied. "Yeah, everything's fine. Was just lost in thought is all."

He tried to brush it off with an obviously fake smile and a thumbs up before going past her. She kept watching him go until she sighed, knowing there obviously was something wrong about him. The thought returned to her again on the boy's attendance to this school. It simply made her wonder; just why is he here? Again she set it aside as she went back to the amphitheater.

* * *

Classes were a while since done. Dusk had soon come and Ella was walking back to her apartment after a good gym workout. first, though, she took a path through the student dorms to spend time on one of several balconies overlooking Beacon, just to be lost in thought about today's experience. But then, from down the hall a good distance away, she spied Jaune being dragged by Pyrrha to a doorway to what she knew was the balcony. Curious, though going against her better judgment on their privacy, she decided to investigate what they were doing at this hour. She power walked but remained silent until she reached the door. She left a crack open for her escape just in case, she walked up the stairs to the edge of the door, and leaned in just a bit to take a peek and to listen to their conversation.

"I can always be a farmer or something…," he suggested as he peered down from the edge of the roof, though Ella could not grasp the understanding of why. But perhaps in hindsight, maybe he should.

Suddenly Pyrrha's eyes widened at his suggestion and freaked out. "N-No!" She redirected his position and shoved him away from the edge.

"That's not why I brought you up here!" She reasoned as she looked out at Beacon. "Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class… and you're still not the strongest of fighters, so… I wanna help you." She offered sincerely as she turned to him with an assuring smile on her lips. Hearing her offer to help him made Ella give off a soft smile, grateful that his partner was willing to move out of her way to help him get better.

"W-What?" He asked out in confusion, not seeming to understand where she was getting at for some reason.

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" She explained further with conviction.

"You think I need help?" He asked as he placed his hand behind his head, not really getting what she was after.

"N-No! No, that's not what I meant." She reached out somewhat to help him understand.

"But you just said it."

"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon, that speaks volumes of what you're capable of!" Ella metaphorically had her fingers crossed, hoping that the blonde boy can finally see reason that he had been given the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from the best. But suddenly, he turned his back to her in a still depressed state.

"You're wrong..." He replied as he sighed. "I-I don't belong here." Now the Good Hunter was starting to grow frustrated at him.

"That's a terrible thing to say, of course you do!" She scoffed in somewhat gentle manner.

Feeling that she was not getting the point, he frustratingly turned around. "No, I don't!"

Pyrrha was taken aback with confliction as to why he snapped at her as he sighed again. He realized what he did and looked away as he explained what he meant. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon." He answered almost cryptically as he turned his back to her again.

His cryptic answer had gotten both Pyrrha and Ella in a mix of both confusion and curiosity.

"W-What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked with narrowed eyes.

"I mean, I didn't go to combat school! I didn't pass any tests! I didn't earn my spot at this academy!" He explained as his anger in tone slowly grew until he somewhat calmed down and turned around to face her again. "I lied!"

Meanwhile, Ella's eyes grew wide with rising realization with each sentence she heard. 'Could it be… that he…'

"I got my hands on some fake transcripts and I lied." There it was, in plain sight for her and Pyrrha's ears to hear. He snuck himself into Beacon. This would have been the part where the Good Hunter would sneak away and report this straight to Ozpin, but she did not move an inch. She wanted to understand why.

"What?" Pyrrha asked, thinking the exact same thing as Ella. "But, why?"

"'Cause, this is what I've always wanted to be!" He replied with his rise in tone again as he turned around once more while looking up at the night sky. "My Father, My Grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes!" Then he looked about in a sullen tone. "I wanted to be one too. I was just never good enough."

"Then let me help you–!" She reached out to place her hand on his shoulder, but she was repulsed back when he turned back around and snapped at her again.

"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"

"Jaune, I—"

"I am tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand!? If I can't do this on my own… then what good am I?"

She reached out to him, wanting to fix this mess and explain to him that this was what she meant, that she wanted to train him to become the hero he wanted to be, but he backed away with his left hand holding his right arm. She slowly backed away, a look of hurt written on her face at his declaration and refusal to let her teach him.

"Just, leave me alone." He said in finality as he then looked away from her solemnly. "Okay?"

Things went quiet between the two of them for just a moment until she decided to kindly but sadly give up on him. "If that's what you think is best."

And with that, she turned around with little reluctance and left for the door. That became Ella's cue to leave quickly without getting caught, so she activated her Quickening, dashed down the stairs and out into the hallway before the Huntress-in-training opened the cracked door and walked down the stairs without so much as hearing anything out of the ordinary. Ella casually walked away, pretending like nothing had ever happened until the door opened to reveal Pyrrha as she closed the door and walked passed her with haste in the direction of her team's dorm. The Good Hunter looked at her retreating form with remorse. The thought of turning down an offer like that simply out of defeated pride or some defeated emotion was unspeakable.

'What was he thinking?' She thought irritably, but then came the information on his fake transcripts to get here. This was something she was never taught about, but she could easily put two-and-two together to know that using fake transcripts was one surefire way of getting himself thrown out of Beacon. Of course, it had to go through the Headmaster himself, and he was a smart man to know real from fake, would he not? But what if he did notice and simply overlooked it on purpose? And if he did, what would that even accomplish? It would not even be right for him to do this to an average teenage boy like Jaune, and the thought of it flustered her. So what was _he_ thinking?

Since day one in this academy, Jaune had been nothing but a burden and an embarrassment to the school. His grades were horrible, his aptitude for combat was sorely lacking and barely made less to no improvement on it whatsoever, and he even refused to accept any help from his team as far as she could guess now. Sure, he did have a natural talent for leadership perhaps, but she could tell that it could only get him so far. Just what could the Headmaster possibly see in this boy in which she could not?

She turned back and looked towards the door leading to the rooftops. 'My job should be to report this to Ozpin,' she thought, 'and hopefully get some answers out of him but… What would become of his team? Without him they'll…' With a frustrated sigh she made her decision. She had to succeed where Pyrrha could not.

To beat some verbal sense into that boy.

With her thought made up, she marched back towards the door with newfound purpose.

Meanwhile, just right after Ella and Pyrrha left, Jaune moped about, slowly pacing back and forth until he heard a snide laugh coming from the edge of the roof. And that voice sounded sinisterly familiar.

"Oh, Jaune…," said Cardin as he climbed up onto the roof from his dorm window.

He turned around in surprise and fear. "Cardin!?"

"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room." He said as he smirked, then he folded his arms. "So, you snuck into Beacon, huh?" Jaune's face paled over what he said as he continued. "I gotta say Jaune, I've never expected you to be such a rebel."

"Please! Cardin, please, don't tell anyone!" He pleaded, but the bully had something else elaborate in mind.

"Jaune! come on! I'd never rat out a friend like that!" He responded, but that caught Jaune off guard.

"Uh, a friend?" He asked in confusion, not knowing yet betting where this was going.

"Of course!" He confirmed sinisterly as he wrapped his arm around his neck and brought him down in a chokehold. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time." He then lets him go as Jaune was on the ground gasping for air. "That being said.. I really don't have the time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today." Then he lowered himself into somewhat of a crouch and rubbed his hair. "Think you can take care of that for me, buddy?" When there was no response of protest from him, he smiled. "That's what I thought." Then he went back to the edge of the roof and climbed back halfway down to his dorm window, but not without saying something that would cement the deal. "Don't worry Jaune, you're secret's safe with me."

After he left for his dorm, Jaune was still on the floor in fear and regret. He had said the truth out loud to Pyrrha, and without realizing it Cardin had heard everything, and now he had been blackmailed by the worst bully in the academy to do his bidding in order to keep his secret safe. This had turned out to be the biggest mistake he had ever made, and the worst fate to be trapped in right now.

"Jaune." Suddenly, he heard the stern voice of someone coming from the door to the roof. He frantically turned his head…

He recognized the woman standing in front of the doorway right away. Ella looked down at him with a stern, no nonsense expression, and it made him feel uneasy.

"Y-Yes?"

"Come with me," she demanded sternly as she narrowed her eyes at him, then turned back to the door.

"Uh…" he did not know what to think of this, there were questions running through his mind but with no answers to them. Was he being punished for something? Did she hear everything he said, too, and is taking him to the Headmaster?

She glance back at him with impatience rising in her voice. "Now, Jaune!" She said with finality.

"R-Right! Coming!" Not wanting to make her more angry, he frantically got up and followed her through the door. Soon they were walking down the hallway, all the while Jaune was getting nervous as to what was going on.

"Um, where are we going," he asked nervously.

"Quiet." She shut him down. He did just that, timidly not wanting to question her on such things as they went to who knows where.

* * *

Ella led Jaune out into the inner courtyard, hands held together behind her back as she kept on walking. The shattered moon was beginning to show, and all the while the two never said a word since. The apprehension was building in him with all the mystery of her intentions. He thought that she was going to take him to see Ozpin, to report on what he had done and be kicked out the next day, but instead he was being lead into the courtyard. Just where was she taking him to he wondered.

"Um, I know you told me to be quiet but… why are we in the courtyard?"

"It's so you and I can talk in peace, Jaune," she answered flatly.

'Talk about what,' he wondered. Eventually they reached around to the front of a monument of a Huntsman and Huntress standing proudly and triumphantly over the Grimm, and then she stopped. For a while she kept silent about it, her back still facing him as she stood facing the statues until she turned around with the stern look she still had on herself.

"You know, I am very disappointed in you Jaune." She started as she folds her arms. "Not only are you slacking in classes, but you also refuse any help from your teammates. But then I learned something new about you, Jaune." Jaune was getting more hurt from her comments, but when she mentioned refusing help, something began to dreadfully click. "You fooled me for a while but I was suspicious… now I know why. You lied your way into Beacon using fake transcripts, which perfectly explains why you were failing so much."

'Crap! Her too?!' Jaune thought with barely contained terror. "You mean… you…?"

"Yes, Jaune, I heard everything you said back on that rooftop. The argument, the revelation of how you faked your way to get here…" Jaune shrunk. This is it, he thought, this had become the worst night of his life, and now he was going to be kicked out the next day. "Yet there's something I don't seem to understand."

With something that unexpected, he perked up at her.

She squinted her eyes a bit as she gathered her thoughts on the argument. "You said your father, grandfather and so on were all great warriors and heroes. You became so fascinated with them that you wanted to be a hero too, but then you skipped all the formal training and tests and used fake transcripts to get into the academy. To me that doesn't seem to add up. If your father was a great warrior, shouldn't he have trained you?"

He was quite surprised that she caught on to a missing piece he skipped over. He got over his reaction and answered in earnest, believing that perhaps telling her about his reason would help him stay. "No, he didn't."

She blinked, then raised an eyebrow curiously. "Did you ask him?"

"I did but… he would always say to wait a while longer, and this was back when I was eight years old. I would sometimes ask him again and again as time went on, but he still would keep saying the same thing." Then he sighed as he then continued. "Eventually I found out when I overheard mom and dad talking. He said he wanted to end the Arc Huntsman career with him, and let us live our lives as normal people.

"On that night my heart broke, I-I felt betrayed," he explained his reaction as he clenches his fist against his chest for emphasis. "I had always followed the family motto saying that 'an Arc never backs down on his word', but for once I hear him turning his back on our family career! I didn't want that!"

"Hmmm," she hummed in thought which got his attention from going further. "Perhaps he thought it would be best?"

"I-I don't know, maybe," he shrugged at the suggestion with a little confliction, "but I did not want a normal life; I wanted to be like my forefathers and protect those who I care for! So I promised myself that I'd carry on the tradition no matter what it takes! And… well you know how I got here." After he said his backstory, he waited with bated breath on her response.

Ella went silent for a bit, meditating on his backstory. His intentions for keeping the legacy alive were noble enough, but faking his way into the academy would be considered dishonest and ignoble. In addition to why he lacked in training because he waited until the ripe age of seventeen, she _would_ conclude that he was unfit to be here, but the thought of his team being kicked out because of his expelling would end rather badly for all of them. So she concluded that he needed to set aside his family pride in order to get the assistance he would need to fulfill his dream.

"You know, Jaune, your intentions and reasons are good and all… but faking your way and lying to yourself and your team will get you nowhere in becoming a hero." Jaune faltered in hearing her response, but she was not done yet. "The only way for you to get there is to set aside the prideful attitude you have going on and look to your team." Then jaune looked away with a bit of embarrassment, trying to not admit it was sort of true for him, but Ella continued when she saw the look he was giving. "I know you do not like hearing this, but you need to have your team help you. Warriors do not train on their own. They were guided by those who were stronger than them each generation. You know this, right?"

"Well, kind of… I-I don't know," he answered with more uncertainty as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It _is_ true, Jaune, and Pyrrha offered you the greatest opportunity to learn from the best. From your partner," she said as she leaned in a bit with her hands on her hips. "But instead, in your vulnerable state you snapped at her and pushed her away."

"L-look, I'm sorry!" He abruptly apologized as he raised his hands halfway. "I know that what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me, Mr. Arc, apologize to her!" She pointed her finger in the direction of the front entrance door.

"...You're right…I'm...," Jaune corrected himself as he looked away again with his hand holding his other arm, but suddenly he shook his head remembering what happened next back on the roof. "I can't," he declared.

"What do you mean you can't?!" She asked as she furrowed her brows at him. "It's simple—"

"That's not what I meant!" He argued back. "It's about Cardin. He knows my secret."

"How?"

"She and I never realized we were standing over his team dorm. So after I blurted out the truth and she left…," he sighed. "He overheard everything and made a deal with me to keep my secret safe."

"So he blackmailed you to be his lap dog," she asked though she put together the obvious.

"Yeah, well more like a fake friendship." He looked away in shame. In an instant his expression grew to that of worry. "I don't know what to do. I never thought I'd be stuck like this, especially when being bossed around by my worst enemy, when my worst enemy has the dirt on me." Then he looked back at her with bleak hope in his eyes when a thought had come to him. "Do you… do you think you can help me out of this?"

She hummed in thought as she crossed her arms. It did not take long to understand the predicament before giving her thought out bluntly. "I would… but if I were to talk to Ozpin about this, I'm afraid he will go against my word but to send you out along with your team. If I were to tell Glynda about this, you and I both know she'll go straight to the Headmaster."

Jaune's expression faltered to being hopeless as she continued. "And If I were to threaten Cardin, or if I tell you to stay away from him, he'll send what he knows to Ozpin. Same scenario, he sends you and your team packing."

He quietly groaned at her explanation, but she did have a point however. His team would be taken out of Beacon academy if that were to happen, and he was sure that they would not forgive him for a long time because of it. "What should I do?"

"Well what you _can_ do is learn to stand up for yourself." She advised. "Think of this as a lesson in humility. And if you can't work up the courage to face the challenges, then would you really consider yourself a team leader to your friends?"

Jaune paused as he pondered on the advice. She knew he was not going to like it, but there simply was no other way. Either he changes himself and grow out of his prideful shell, or be stuck in the neverending torment of his enemies. She looked up at the night sky, seeing the shattered moon being higher than before.

"I believe it's getting late, you should head back and think on what to do. Goodnight, mr. Arc."

"Thanks… I guess." He soon went around the statue towards the front doors to the school.

She watched his retreating form for a short while until she decided to turn around to have a brisk walk, only to halt herself from doing so when she heard her mentor behind her.

"An interesting lecture, I must say," Eileen began. "And I'm amazed you did not show him out the door once you learned the truth."

"You're telling me you were spying on them on the rooftops? Or you perhaps knew this whole time?" She asked as she turned around narrowed her eyes at her mentor.

"Ozpin and I already knew about his facade the whole time, though it took me sooner to realize it. Surprised it took you this long to find out."

"I merely saw him as a student, although I had my suspicions." She tried to shrug it off, but the little embarrassment still lingered. But then she sighed because of what she told him. "So I could've went to Ozpin since he knew the truth, and he would've helped him out?"

The Night Huntress shook her head. "I would not think so. If anything, the students would look down on the boy for being special. Best to let him solve his problem on his own."

She huffed, and after a moment of pause she changed the subject to get away from it. "I assume you're heading out on your nightly hunts soon?"

"Soon," she replied, "just need to make one more round before I leave.. and so far I've only caught a few snooping around. And what about you?"

"Well...," she pondered with a smug look as she glanced to the side, moved her hip to the side and crossed her arms. "I _was_ going to spend a bit of time looking up at the stars, but that all got ruined when I caught those two." She then looked at her master as she shrugged. "So I'll be turning myself in for the night."

She nodded. "I hope you sleep well then, you have another whole day ahead of you."

"That I do. Good hunting then." She turned around to leave for her apartment.

"Before you go…," Eileen stopped her. "There's something I would like to have clarified." The Good Hunter turned back around to face her and listened. "You explained to me that you purposely held back during your fight, and you revealed yourself to the class that you're the Huntress from the video and my partner after using your Quickening… but why didn't you use your Semblance? You could've used it and still held yourself back."

She dwelt on the question for a few instants before giving her answer. "It is true that I could've used it and still hold myself back with it, but my Heat Absorption Semblance still would have ended the fight more quickly. Besides, what better to keep them thinking that Quickening is my Semblance when I can keep my cards close to my chest." She smirked. All the media had ever covered was her Huntress identity and her Quickening, and luckily no one was ever around to record what else she had otherwise, thanks to hunting at night.

"Hiding it from the students is not what I would do, but I suppose there can be some merit to this. The choice is simply up to you, of course." Then she turned the other way. "I should be getting back to work. Have a good night, Ella."

"Have a good hunting, master." They went their separate ways, Eileen changing into her shadow crow form as she flew away while Ella walked back inside the building, feeling content with tonight's little episode.

* * *

 **Beacon Tower**

Ozpin was still up at this hour, going through the now small stack of paperwork he had been given to finish. Consisting of replenishing disposable items and equipment and the bills to pay for any damages, tonight had been normal to his standards. He still had not forgotten the investigation into Ella's family, and though he had the power and resources to get the answers he wanted, the job of being a Headmaster was distracting and often hectic for his age. So instead of finding the answers himself, he would let one of his trusted agents to do the job of gathering intel. He was still a man of his word after all.

He was just about ready to sign the next bill when his Scroll vibrated on his glass desk. Curious to know who would be calling at this hour, he set down his pen and brought his Scroll to the front. Expanding it revealed a short message upon the display:

 **[Still no sign yet]**

 **[Have intel on the Fall]**

Underneath the message was a folder with the designation "Fall". He tapped the folder to reveal multiple folder files pertaining to what he realized was the family itself. He was relieved that his agent had found what he needed, but he did not expect to see this much. Not wanting to take the time to sift through them on his Scroll, he tapped a few commands and closed the device. Clearing the paper and pen aside from his desk he laid the Scroll onto the glass surface, and by tapping the diamond on the Scroll, it lit up into a holographic display of files hovering in front of him.

"Now let's see what he's gathered," he thought out loud as he started to sift through the folders, revealing multiple or single files. He learned of their backgrounds and their current status which was disheartening to him. He would honestly say he was not sure what she would do with this information given to her. He soon glanced at the one folder file which reads "newspaper". Curiosity taking over, he tapped the files back to their designated folders and tapped the newspaper folder to show up a number of news articles linking the family.

* * *

" _1…," Ella counted down with her eyes closed while facing the wall in the dining area. "2…3…4…5...6…7…8…9…10, ready or not here I come!" She and her sister were playing hide and seek, one of their favorite games to play while their parents were away grocery shopping. Ella was being the seeker now after being found for the second time, and unfortunately for her, her twin was the best when it came to hiding, and she was only found once during their game._

 _Ella looked everywhere for her sister. She looked through the pantries in the kitchen, she looked through the bedrooms upstairs, checked every nook and cranny down in the basement, and she looked through the hiding spots in the living room. Only the backyard remained, and she absolutely had no idea where her sister could possibly be._

 _She was looking through the kitchen again, hoping that maybe her sister went in here while she wasn't looking when she heard the slider door leading to the backyard open and close. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to catch her, she ran out of the kitchen, through the living room and opened the slider door to the backyard. She hoped she would catch her running to someplace, but alas, as she stood on the porch overlooking the backyard, her sister just disappeared like a ghost yet again._

" _Ugh, Cindy, where are you!" She was getting frustrated, because knowing her it would take almost half an hour to find her, and at some point she would just give up searching for her and wait until she finally came out of hiding. She walked down the steps to the cleanly trimmed backyard. She went looking out a little further when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned too late when her sister ran right past her._

" _Can't catch me!" She taunted as she ran around back to the house._

" _Hey, no fair!" She ran after her, and this time she wasn't going to let her hide.  
The twins ran through the opened slider door, through the living area and to the kitchen. The girls were soon on opposite sides of the dinner table, daring one another after running around the table, and Cindy attempting to escape, only to get back to her position after her sister was going the same direction. She suddenly had a mischievous smile on her lips, giving Ella a clue that she was up to something. Cindy then went to the left side while Ella followed her movement and made a beeline for her, only to realize too late when she spun on her heels and ran the opposite direction._

" _Get back here!" She yelled while her twin sister was laughing at the idea being done well. They then ran back outside into the backyard, still chasing her by only a foot behind as they then ran to the tree and went around twice. On the third round, Cindy suddenly stopped, and she took the advantage without a thought as she slapped her hand on her back._

" _Tag! You're it!" She said cheerfully in victory, but there was no response, and neither did she move. Confused, but in the periphery of her vision, she looked to where her sister was staring at to see a disturbing sight in front of them. It was a sickly looking man wearing black, tattered robes. He was tall, taller than even their daddy. Clutched in his large, boney left hand and slung over his shoulder what appeared to be a rucksack. Under the hood, he looked down at them with his pale white eyes, his expression being completely blank, but the feeling of dread grew inside her and her sister._

" _Run!" Cindy yelled as she took her twin sister by the hand and ran towards the slider door, but the monstrous man was soon right on top of them. Ella saw this, too and knew it would try to take her sister away, so she pushed her out of the way and the monster grabbed her in one hand and lifted her up._

" _Let me go! Let me go!" Ella screamed as she struggled and fought to make him let go, but his grip was firm as he slung the rucksack around and undid the rope closing the top. She could hear strange moaning noises coming from the giant sac, and she could hear the screams of her sister calling out to her. She screamed, too when she was shoved into the inky darkness of the rucksack._

* * *

She jolted herself awake with an audible gasp and a cold sweat. Her eyes were widened with fear, her heart racing for miles as she breathed to calm herself.

'What was that,' she thought shakened, 'was that a memory?!'

It took her awhile to calm herself as she tried to process what she just experienced. She was playing around with her sister now known as "Cindy" inside and outside their house. It was a game of hide and seek, something the two of them enjoyed most. She was not sure if that was her true name, but saying it in her mind felt familiar to her.

Of course, it was then the moment of fun shattered when that _thing_ showed up. She could not believe it, but she recognized that monster as a Kidnapper. She had tangled with those creatures from the Chapel district, and to the forgotten village. What bothered her more was how it got there. Did a Great One send it there? Did it have some kind of power she did not know? Flora said the existence of Remnant was unknown to them until recently.

She looked at the clock to read that it was 6:59 AM, and when it struck seven, she shut it off. Still troubled and feeling vulnerable for the moment, she then pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin against her knees to try and make herself feel secure. Yet there would have to be another time to deal with it, and the smell of breakfast reached her nostrils, making her almost forget about what happened. So she got up out of her bed and got ready with her usual routine.

* * *

 **A/N: and we're done with this chapter. I hope I've written Jaune and Pyrrha's emotions right, it's simply because that's my little downside to my writing. Plus I hope I got Jaune's character right when I wrote the conversation between him and Ella. I know what you guys are thinking, that I bashed Jaune around and maybe he didn't deserve it, but believe me when I say that Jaune wasn't really being honest and noble about it when he first came to Beacon, that's what I have to remember when I watched the scenes over and over.**

 **Anyways, I've set up the poll on my profile page to see which story catches your interest, and to help you guys know what each one is about, I've written summaries of the three stories right here for you to look at.**

 **A Lost Bloom in the Snow: Summer Rose, a highly skilled destroyer of monsters and baker of cookies, was just finishing up her assignment when she suddenly gets dropped into a portal to a whole new world of magic, warriors and dragons. Having forced to adjust to her new situation and her newfound weakness, and while travelling alongside the Dragonborn of prophecy, can she survive long enough to find a way to get back home to her family, or will she die in the breathtaking yet harsh province of Skyrim?**

 **Agents of Light; Book One of the Void Chronicles: The Guardians, three close friends who thought they have seen the most challenging the Darkness could throw at them, soon discover an unknown technology they believe can turn the tide in humanity's favor, but the tech malfunctions on it test flight and sends one Guardian to the origin of its creation; a world similar to Earth with its own golden age of technology. In a world where agents of good and evil clash for the fate of the world, this agent of the Traveler will have to quickly adjust to a new kind of fight, and hopefully find a way back. Destiny x Overwatch**

 **Rosario + Vampire: Cold Fury: Hisashi, an adopted boy who never knew who his real parents were, is invited to join Yokai academy in his search to find answers, and to hopefully find a normal life. Along the way, however, he runs into his fair share of adventures while opening up and making new friends along the way. Starting with an average human named Tsukune Aono. He has to be wary though, for there are forces working behind the scenes in this school and beyond who would care nothing more than to destroy him and all he cares for. R+V x Mortal Kombat (alt)**

 **Remember, the story title with the highest vote gets to be the second story. The poll will remain until a month later to give more fair results.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Class was getting halfway close to starting, and as usual Ella stood alongside Glynda as they watched the students come slowly pouring in through the entrance. She had yet to tell her about last night's flashback/nightmare, but she figured that putting that off for later would be for the best. Another glance at her watch told her class would begin in half an hour's time. Next to her, Glynda was tapping at her ScrollPad from time to time, and seeing her brought to mind what she was doing last night. The Good Hunter wondered if the blonde huntsman-in-training got back to his dorm without getting caught.

"Oh, Glynda," she got her attention when she looked up from her Scroll Pad, "how did it go with your curfew patrol last night?" She asked cautiously, wanting to know about Jaune's fate without compromising him.

"It went rather… decently, I believe," the professor answered absently.

Ella raised an eyebrow — hoping to look like she found it curious, but trying not to appear too interested. "How so?"

"I've caught some students breaking curfew last night. A few boys were trying to sneak out of Beacon, a lone boy sneaking around the academy grounds, and a boy and girl tried to break into the library."

The mention of 'lone boy' set off an alarm at once, but she concealed it and continued the conversation. "Any reason as to why they tried to get into the library?"

"They explained they were planning to grab a few text books for their upcoming tests next week."

"And what do you think?"

"I believe they were after something else, but I just sent them back to their dorms." She shrugged. It was better not to know what they were actually planning to do. After all, teens will be teens.

"Do you know their names?"

She thought for a bit, recollecting their names before she spoke. "The three boys were Robin Skie, Eric Cider, and Robert Coal. The sol boy sneaking around was Azure LockLein. And the boy and girl were Kyle Macaroon and Sapphire Azul." She then turned to look at her, eyes narrowing: "Why did you want to know about their names?"

"Oh, just… best to keep an eye out for potential troublemakers," she said with a shrug, again hoping Glynda would not spot her relief. Jaune had escaped her rounds and gotten back to his dorm without trouble. She could only hope he reconciled with his partner after the altercation on the roof.

Eventually, it soon became five minutes, and the students were all here early or were about to be here on time or later. Suddenly Goodwitch's ScrollPad went off, catching both of their attention. The teacher looked to see that it was a message and read through the contents, with a hum before addressing her assistant.

"It seems Ozpin wants to see you," she told her.

"Did he say what for?"

She shook her head. "No, other than he wants to see you up in his office right away. Perhaps he has something for you to do."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't keep him waiting. Good day, miss Goodwitch."

She nodded slightly. "You as well." After bidding farewell, she took the back exit and left the amphitheater to Ozpin's office.

* * *

It took her awhile to reach the tower, but she was soon inside the elevator going up to the top. While on her way, she had wondered and assumed three things:

Either he did have an assignment for her to do which may not be surprising, or knew something about what happened last night and wanted to interrogate her. If not either of those then, she hoped, that it would be that he finally found her family. Eventually after a long ride up, the bell finally dinged and opened the sliding door. There Ozpin was sitting behind his glass desk as he looked straight at her.

"Ah good, you're here," he greeted as his hands were clasped together on the desk. "How has your job been so far?"

"So far so good. I would say things have been going pretty well for me." She answered with a soft smile as she walked up to his desk.

"Really, even after what happened last night between you and knowing Jaune's little secret?"

She gasped quietly, but she composed herself when she remembered. "Yes, well… it took me a while."

"Indeed, and I'm glad you showed compassion and wisdom to him when he needed it most, but that is not the reason I had brought you all the way up here. The reason is simply because of the promise I made."

She became surprised and the excitement was written on her face as she leaned in on the desk with her fingers laying on the glass. "Really?!" She then realized she broke her composure and quickly fixed it. "You finally found them?"

He chuckled at her reaction. "Yes I have, and the good news is that they are alive and well."

"That's really good to hear from you Professor," she said with a relieved smile. "May I see them?"

He nodded in agreement, although his expression was blank in return, and he tapped the Scroll laid out on the glass table to bring up the holographic files for her to peruse. She saw several files, lining from family members to medical records. It was obvious she would choose the family folder as it showed almost a dozen surviving members of the Fall family. She was surprised of the number of relatives she still had left, ranging from Grandparents to Uncles and Aunts, and to cousins. What she was really looking for, however, was her birth parents, and conveniently the name "birth parents" was listed in one folder on the corner. She tapped it and revealed the profiles of four people.

Name: Selene Loukas Fall(formerly)

Age: 48

Height: 5'10"

Skin Color: Caucasian

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Blue

Kingdom: Mistral

Status: Alive

Parental Status: Mother

Marital Status: Divorced

Location: Elatorion, Mistral

Her mother looked just like she remembered(from the plane). She looked just as beautiful as a goddess, even if time had given her graying hair. Something puzzled the Good Hunter; the word "Divorced" sounded unfamiliar to her, making her more curious as she read the next profile.

Name: Wilhelm Fall

Age: 50

Height: 6'0"

Skin Color: Caucasian

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Amber

Kingdom: Vale

Status: Alive

Parental Status: Father

Marital Status: Divorced

Location: Residential District, Capital city of Vale

The man had a trimmed black beard, and his features were angular, although she was seeing a few signs of wrinkles. His black, graying hair was curly and short. What made him more striking were his Amber eyes.

'At least I know I have his eyes,' she mentally mused, '...yet still, what is this?' She looked away from the holo display and looked at the Headmaster straight in the eyes. She felt hesitant for some reason, as if her heart did not want her to know what it is, but she had to know. "Ozpin… do you know what a divorce is?"

He tilted his head a bit. "You don't know what it is? Or do you not remember?"

"It's either that, or I don't think the professors covered that subject."

"Hmmm." He pondered a bit since he knew this subject was about to come up rather soon. He breathed in before answering. "A divorce is when two couples can no longer be together due to circumstances. The circumstances can range from parental disputes to even their marriage in general." He could see that Ella was becoming disheartened and troubled by this news, and he could not blame her. "I'm sorry for giving you this troubling news, but your parents are, in fact, living separate lives now. But please, keep reading."

Ella furrowed her brows a bit at him for the demand, but she did so as she returned her sight on the list.

Name: Cinder Fall

Age: 14–?

Height: 5'5"–?

Skin Color: Caucasian

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Amber

Kingdom: Vale

Status: Unknown (Missing since age 14)

Parental Status: Daughter

Sibling(s): Ella Fall

Location: Unknown

Cinder's profile picture was that of a teenager, with a keen resemblance to her if she were her age, proving to her that they may indeed be identical twins. Also, she now learned her name is Cinder, not just Cindy. Perhaps the latter was due to them being little at the time, but what troubled her right now was her sister's status of going missing.

'Just what happened?' She curiously thought as she scrolled down to the last profile; Ella herself. Her profile picture was strangely that of a little child, identical to that of the sister she remembered in her dream. It then became obvious enough evidence that they really were identical, but the silent question was why only that picture until she read the rest of the profile list.

Name: Ella Fall

Age: 6–?

Height: 3'9.47"–?

Skin Color: Caucasian

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Amber

Kingdom: Vale

Status: Unknown (missing since age 6)

—

'Since age 6?!' She thought with shocking incredulity as she stopped reading, but with sudden dread. Her mind then went back to the horrible dream she had last night, the horrid experience of being taken away was still vividly fresh in her mind. Her skin had begun to pale at the realization that her dream was actually a traumatizing memory. She now learned she was six years old when she got grabbed and taken away.

Ozpin was noticing the sudden stretch of silence, and he already knew why. So he stood up from his chair, grabbed his clockwork cain, and went around his desk. "I understand this must be difficult for you.. being gone all those years." He spoke solemnly.

"How long was I actually gone for?" She finally spoke in soft exasperation, but in truth she was asking nobody in particular but herself. She did not turn to look at him, and instead she lowered her head, trying to keep herself from falling apart.

"You have been gone for seventeen years Ella." He gave her the answer, but she already knew. "Anything could've happened in that long span of time. I am sorry for having you keep your hopes up."

"This just… it just isn't what I expected this to be," she commented sadly.

Coming back to Remnant seventeen years later and learning that her family had fallen apart was not something she had been expecting, and she felt like her heart had been stabbed by this knowledge. What was more troubling besides her parent's separation, however, was the absence of her twin sister. How did this happen? Where could she be? Did she get kidnapped the same way she did? Or did she run away? There were growing questions on her mind that were being left unanswered, and she was feeling more crushed just thinking about it.

Ozpin remained silent as he looked at the profiles, giving her time to think things over. Reading those news articles and files was like opening up an old wound. He once took part in the investigation and manhunt for this very criminal, going so far as to send out a trusted team of Hunters-in-training in search of him, but alas, it was all for naught. This event had become one of his regrets. But now...

It irked him to hurt her more since her own revelation, but still, there was something he needed to know, what he needed to solve this cold case. He just had to help her remember, if she already does.

"I know I mustn't ruin this moment of grief, but there is something I need you to confirm." She gloomily looked to him, and listened to what he could possibly want from her. "The investigators, with the help of your sister, had a sketched drawing of your kidnapper."

He tapped the profile back into the folder, and then tapped the news folder to then tap the sketch file. The file revealed two sketch drawings of a tall, sickly looking man (or thing). He wore dirty and tattered rags, and his hood covered part of his pale, emotionless face. His large, bony hand held a large sack over his shoulder. This was the same monster who kidnapped her long ago, and the same ones she killed in Yharnam. It was already confirmed, but looking at this one's face nearly made her blood boil.

"I do believe you've seen his like before, correct?"

It took some effort to bring herself under control, but she soon calmed herself. "...I do, and I've fought and killed those creatures in Yharnam. And believe me when I tell you that they are tough and dangerous in their own right."

"That I know," he agreed as he nodded.

That made her blink as she looked at him curiously. ' _Did he know about this?'_ She wondered, but she remembered the first meeting with Ozpin in his office, that Eileen told him everything there was to know about the other world and Yharnam. "I suppose Eileen explained to you about them."

"Yes, she did. Now, after looking at the information before you, does it help you remember what happened? Anything at all?"

"I do but…," she crossed her arms in discomfort from being reminded of her dream last night. "I just don't want to talk about it."

"I see, so you do remember. I will not push on that, but… there is another thing I would like to know. Were you the only one being taken away, or were you not alone in that bag?"

"I was not alone…," she answered uncomfortably. "There were several… or less maybe? I don't know, I was busy trying to escape. Why are you asking me about this? As far as I'm concerned, me and those children were the only ones taken to the other side."

He shook his head, which made her blink. "I see no one has told you about the event which transpired exactly seventeen years ago."

"...What do you mean? What happened seventeen years ago?" She looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant.

"I know with certainty that you and those children were not the first and only ones to have been kidnapped. The man you see here had been infamous for taking nearly a hundred children in one month. It was all thanks to your sister and the survivors who witnessed him, we were able to eventually figure him out and hunt him down. It took a team of my best students and Eileen to stop him, but before we could glean any information in where to find the other children, he killed himself. We saved the children he had in the bag," his tone then changed to being solemn, "but we couldn't say the same for the others."

"So they were never seen again."

He nodded slowly. "His death left a stain on this academy that could never be washed away. That's when Eileen finally came forward and told me the truth." She stayed silent for a moment to gather her thoughts. Eileen had never told her about this. It was either because she was too ashamed to talk about it, or the thought never crossed her mind. Nearly a hundred children taken to Earth; that was quietly unsettling and sad in her case, but there were some things he left out that she needed to know.

"Wait, there are a couple things I need to know. How did he manage to kidnap nearly a hundred children in one month?" She asked, knowing that it was next to impossible to achieve such a goal.

"To both me and Eileen's surprise, the Kidnapper had the ability to teleport from one place to where he came from to the next. He would come back at random places in Vale, making him that much harder to track."

"So how did your team manage to catch him?"

He sighed and answered reluctantly. "They… had to use a child as live bait for him."

"What?" She asked in shock, not believing at first of the outrageous idea. Throughout her months here, she was told that a hunter must never take extreme measures to see the mission through, for it only goes against their code.

"If I were with them I would've condemned the idea myself," he commented with a bit of resentment, "but they were growing desperate for a solution. So they chose to turn his kidnapping of children against him."

"But surely there were other solutions."

"There were, yes… but it all would have resulted in failure and more blood." She now felt distraught by this. This Kidnapper was an entirely different beast, and was going far beyond this world's morality and way of thinking, and the only way to beat him was at his own game. She never knew the Kidnapper would be this capable of chaos, and she wondered if killing them all in Yharnam was more of a blessing to this world.

She remained silent, with no more further questions spoken, and for a while they both looked away and never spoke. It was like a silent prayer to the lost, but it was sullen, and darkened. She never knew the others save for two she could barely remember.

"We both have our scars, Ella." Ozpin finally broke the silence as he then walked towards the glass windows to look out over the courtyard. "But honestly, I have made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this earth."

She watched him in sorrowful sympathy, remaining silent to never interrupt him.

"I do not have the power to heal the wounds of our past," he turned to face her, "but with you, being the first to escape and finally return home, it makes me feel that perhaps I've been given a chance to do what's right." He smiled softly at her, with an idea which had come to mind as she listened more intently to what he wanted to say. "Ella, would you like to visit your family, separate though they may be? That is still your intention, correct?"

She blink and was a little taken aback. "Of course. Are you saying you're allowing me to take some time off?"

He nodded. "With as much time off as you need. To what is always understood, a connection with family gives that person a sense of strength and responsibility. On the upside, this will also help you in recovering more about yourself."

That brought a relieved smile on her lips, and with a hint of excitement growing. "When can I leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll have Eileen go with you for the trip abroad."

"Thank you so much," she thanked him dearly and she bowed slightly with one hand over her heart.

"One more thing; if you ever do decide to retire from your position or decide to come back, simply give me a call."

"I will," she nodded. "Good day, Headmaster."

She turned to leave and headed for the elevator. The Good Hunter was already planning ahead out of both inner excitement and some trepidation once she got inside and went down. Meanwhile, Ozpin sighed, not because of what he did for her, but because she became a reminder of his failure to save those kids. At least he would feel some comfort in the fact that a little hope did eventually come out of the madness long ago.

"Still, it makes me wonder...," Ozpin muttered in wonder as he turned his chair towards the horizon. Questions being resurfaced in his mind since that night which had still been left unanswered, and would continue to be left that way to this day. "Just how many children was he going to take? And just why?

"What did the Kidnapper plan to do with that many children?"

* * *

She had returned to her duties alongside Glynda for the rest of the day, and during her time she told the professor what had transpired up in Beacon tower. The news of having her parents finally found gave Glynda relief, though with sadness of the circumstances, but she wished her luck all the same. Of course, the story she had been told about the kidnappings, and the revelation that the Good Hunter herself was one of them troubled her.

By the next morning, Ella went about gathering up her essentials for the trip. She collected and folded some extra clothes in case she stayed for another day or two, a bag of dental hygiene, two water bottles, and her Blade of Mercy. Soon after, she called the Doll over, got started changing herself out of her sleepwear and went about choosing what to wear. A few combinations later, she looked herself in the mirror, making sure that she looked presentable for her first visit. She was wearing her own taste of casual (sophisticated) attire for this occasion: a button down, short sleeved, dark grey shirt, a black, ankle length skirt, black stockings and black heeled shoes. She then turned to the Doll, sitting on the bed watching her. "What do you think, Doll? Does this outfit look better on me?"

She nodded. "I say it looks stunning on you, Good Hunter."

"You really think so?" She looked back at her reflection. Since she was going to be visiting her father first, she wanted to make herself look more presentable with the clothing options she had available. She went through three combinations, and asking the Doll as her critic what she thought of each one. Although the Doll somewhat did not have the same fashion sense as her, at least she appreciated her opinion. She then shrugged. "I suppose this will do."

She already had her extra clothes, her sleepwear and essentials, folded and tucked neatly into her travel case in an organized fashion. It was locked and ready to be carried as it lied on the bed next to her. She walked up to it and grabbed it by the handle.

"I'm going to be gone for a while. Take care of yourself and the apartment while I'm gone." She said as she began to walk out the bedroom door, only to be halted when the Doll gently grabbed her by the wrist.

"Wait." She said.

"Uh, what is it, Doll?" she asked in confusion as she turned to look at her.

"Are you sure you want to travel like this?" She asked.

This puzzled Ella a bit. "What do you mean? If it's the dangers I might face, I have my blade of mercy in my case."

"But wouldn't it be easier to carry more without carrying anything?"

This was confusing her even more. "...Doll, what are you talking about?"

"Allow me to give _this_ to you." She offered cryptically as she stood close to her and placed her porcelain fingers on certain parts of her head. The Good Hunter simply wondered where this was going as she looked into her haunting eyes.

"Doll, what are you—

Then the Doll's fingers glowed, and was caught off guard as the energy surged into her brain. She growled incoherently and trembled in pain as she dropped the case. Symbols and marking were flashing across her vision, but they were going too fast for her to comprehend. Then the Doll released her hold on the Good Hunter, and she stumbled back and crashed against the wall, leaning on it as her vision went spinning and she clutched her head with one hand.

"Wh-wha, wha-what did… yo-you do?" She stuttered as she worked to get her mind back together, and her vision to become clear again.

"I have given you a little gift, Good Hunter." She answered cryptically again.

"Gift… wh-what gift?!" Her mind was coming back together, and her vision was becoming clear thanks in use of her Aura. She pushed herself away from the wall and stood straight again as she looked back the Doll with a hurt and confused expression.

"Think of the coffin and snap your fingers please." She calmly instructed.

She looked at her incredulously, and reluctantly did what she told her to do. She thought of the coffin, and when she snapped her fingers, the coffin appeared from out of the blue and landed against her bed. She was surprised by this, and turned to the Doll for an explanation.

"I have given you the insight to summon your coffin whenever you need it. Do you like this little gift, Good Hunter?" She asked with a serenely haunting smile.

"I… appreciate it but… did you just give me literal insight?" She asked suspiciously, and with a little concern knowing how insight can affect one's mind.

"It is simply knowledge, Good Hunter." Came the reply.

She was still skeptical about it, and it was truly strange of the Doll to give her something out of the blue, but as she thought about it, she could honestly admit that it could prove useful down the line. She looked to the case on the floor, but then another idea came to mind as she smiled a little.

* * *

She strolled through the courtyard without her case as she soon reached the air docks, where a casual wearing Eileen was waiting for her next to the Bullhead. She wore a black tank top, a short sleeved leather jacket, denim jeans, and gym shoes. Although she had gotten used to seeing today's modern fashion trend, she still refused to accept it. Seeing her mentor now, however, had made her feel uncertain.

"So, are you excited to see your parents?" Eileen asked with a smirk.

"It would be if the circumstances were better, but yes, I am." She replied with a soft smile.

"Well that seems good enough, but where is your luggage?" She asked when she inspected she was holding onto nothing.

"How about I explain to you when we reach the hotel," she suggested.

She shrugged at the suggestion. "Fine then, let's hop on in and see your father." They both got inside the Bullhead, and were then sitting down and buckling up. The Bullhead soon took off and headed for the air dock at the bottom of the cliff and across the lake.

"So, Ella, what will you do once you meet your father?" The veteran huntress asked.

The question stopped her in her tracks. "... I'm not sure, to be honest," she answered hesitatingly. "I didn't really think that far ahead. Do you think he'll recognize me?"

"I doubt it," she answered. "You'll just have to convince him."

"That's easier said than done, considering I only have a few pieces of memories about them."

"The information you were given didn't help you any?"

"Sadly no."

"Hmm." She hummed with a little skepticism.

Even after it eventually landed, and they were soon inside the residential district by use of a taxi, walking alongside Eileen had her feeling a little uncomfortable, because her mind went wandering back to the kidnappings of seventeen years ago. To know she took part in stopping the Kidnapper was noble enough, but the method they used made her come to question on the values of being a hunter. There had to be some good reason for this she thought, and the only source of information was walking right beside her, but would she be able to talk after that many years?

"So…," she started somewhat hesitantly, "I suppose Ozpin told you everything about me then?"

Eileen had a moment of pause before she answered in a neutral tone. "That he did." The Crow Huntress had a feeling she was going to bring this up sooner or later. "And I don't have to guess he told you everything as well."

"Y-Yes, he did." She went quiet for a moment, merely pondering what to say before a thought occurred. "But… what I don't seem to understand is.. how the Kidnapper got those powers."

Eileen knew she was trying to avoid that certain subject. She could not blame her for it, and after all, she was the one mentoring her. The subject of the Kidnapper, however, was an oddly interesting one, if not infuriating first hand. "To be honest, I haven't the foggiest. Perhaps he was given power by the Great Ones, or simply an experiment. Still doesn't explain how he got here and why he wanted children. We'll never know for sure."

"I see, then he must've been difficult to take down."

"You have no idea." She replied slowly, the memories of his ability to go about the battle both puzzled and annoyed her.

"So how did you take him down?"

These questions were beginning to push her patience, but she answered them anyways to entertain her. "It was not easy, let me tell you. When we fought him, he used his power and strength to full effect, leaving two of my teammates injured before beating him at his own game."

"I see. That must've been quite the experience."

"Indeed…," the two became quiet after that, and the hidden Crow Huntress internally sighed, deciding to wait until then.

They spent a while of strolling down the streets of an older part of the residential. It was not old and crumbling per say, and these homes looked maintained enough, but a house was not what they were looking for. They were looking for an apartment complex her father was currently living in, and the duo followed the directions being given which led them here. Eventually, they did find the complex they were looking for and were standing in front of the gate. There were four brick buildings that were four stories high, and forty rooms long.

"Now remember, you mustn't reveal to him where you came back from or mention anything out of normalcy. You don't want to lose your chance of reconnecting with your father, right?" Eileen reminded and asked.

She sighed at the reminder. "Of course I won't. Still, I'm kind of nervous about this."

"There's no need to be nervous. If he asks about it, then simply make it up."

"Easier said than done," she muttered. "All right, let's go."

They headed on through, soon going into the second apartment building. Three floors later, and the two stood in front of the door marked as #145. Ella had been informed that today was her father's day off, and although this was fortunate, for a feeling of uncertainty, she did not move.

"Aren't you going to knock on the door?" Eileen asked when she looked to see Ella being a bit nervous and hesitant.

"...Do you think he'll recognize me?" She asked with uncertainty.

"You won't know unless you knock on it." Came the obvious, blunt answer.

She swallowed down the pang of fear, knowing she was right and there was no point in standing around. She slowly walked up to the door, clenched her fingers together, and politely knocked on the door several times before taking a step back.

"Who is it!?" Came a rough, ornery, muffled reply. She could hear the sound of footsteps coming to the door, though to her guess he stopped halfway. "Ugh, I swear, if this is another one of your business offers, Tom, I'm not interested!"

"A-Actually, I'm not this Tom person." She replied, though had to raise her voice a little for him to hear through the door. "I came to see you."

"Huh? Uh… hold on." She heard the footsteps again as they reached the door. She heard the lock shuffle, and then the knob turned and opened…

"Is there something you want—," to reveal a man wearing a red T-shirt and jeans. His face and hair showed signs of aging, but he had a growing beard than what she saw in the picture. "You look… oddly familiar for some reason. Is.. that you Cinder?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm her sister."

"Wait, sis–," his eyes then began to widen in what she was implying to, but she answered that little mystery for him.

"I'm your daughter Ella." She answered for him as she gave a gentle smile. She hoped he remembered her.

His mind went reeling back memories when she announced her name. Her amber eyes were just like his, but he was uncertain. Though his skeptical mind wanted to doubt this claim, but for the first time his heart was clinging to hope. "Ella?... Is that you?"

It irked her only a little when he asked. She figured there would be some doubt and she could not blame him, for it had been a long seventeen years after all. So she had to prove her identity by reciting the only memory she had of herself and her father. "Father, do you remember the Vytal festival in Mistral? I was riding on your shoulders, allowing me to see everything from a grown ups perspective. I was fascinated seeing all the stalls and games. Then we watched that swordsman dancing and fighting against his own swords. We all had such a great time. Do you remember that father?"

"Yeah, and we were there after Cinder and Ella's birthday two weeks ago," he added, looking back at that memorable moment vividly. She nodded, already knowing their birthday was in late October.

He was now looking at her features with more clarity than before, nearly coming to tears when he finally concluded that she and Cinder were the same if she were at this age. This had been a long time since he last saw the smiling, energetic face of one of his little girls, but now she was standing right there in front of him. It felt like he had just woken up from a bad dream, if only the circumstances were better.

"It really is you, isn't it." He said trembling with his words, tears now threatening to burst open from his eyes. She nodded again, this time with the expression of a saddened smile, though it was not of sorrow, but of a feeling of reunion. She, too, was struggling to contain her feelings. Not wanting to stand around, and instead he closed the short distance between each other and embraced his daughter with a hug, somewhat tightening around her as if she might disappear again. His tears were finally leaking down from his closed shut eyes.

She returned the gesture in kind, feeling a warmth within herself that felt familiar yet foreign to her. Suddenly a small flashback popped up in her mind. She was a little girl again, and she saw her parents coming up to the house. She was ecstatic to see them again and ran up to them. She was hoisted up by her father, laughing with joy as she was spun around one time before being held in a hug. The memory reminded her what the feeling was, the feeling of being welcomed home from a long absence, and she nearly burst into tears as she tightened her grip.

"My baby girl's come home." He said as he sniffed. The two held each other for what felt like forever, but it was only a minute. Reluctantly, he loosened his hold to laying his grip on the sides of her shoulders.

"I'm sure we have a lot to talk about..." He said as he softly smiled, but then he realized the other woman standing behind them the whole time. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think you've introduced me to your friend here."

She looked behind herself as he let go and stepped back a bit. "Right, this is my friend and mentor, Eileen." She introduced as she looked back at him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fall." The hidden Night Huntress greeted.

"Likewise… but hold on. Did you say mentor?"

Ella nodded. "Yes, I've been her pupil since I was found three months ago, and while working as an Assistant Professor at Beacon."

"Working at Beacon? Since this summer?" He was being a bit flabbergasted by the information given, but felt proud of her all the same . "My word, you've gotten quite far up the ladder haven't you? And it took you this long to find me." He suddenly raised his hands up in defense after realizing what he said. "Of course, I don't blame you. A-After all, your mother and I… are.."

"Living separate lives for quite a while now." She answered for him, which surprised him a bit.

"Oh… so you know about that." He said solemnly.

"Ozpin was gathering information for me. That's how I found out."

"I see." Then he sighed as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "It must've been quite hard on you, and I'm sorry you had to learn about this new circumstance."

"It's true that it's hard to accept it… but like my Headmaster said, anything could happen in seventeen years."

He hummed in grim understanding, and a moment of silence lingered in the air, save for the occasional muffled yelling coming from somewhere else, until he broke the silence to cheer her up. "Well, no matter the circumstance, what matters most is that you've come back, and I couldn't be any happier for it. How about you two come inside, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." He gestured through the door, and the two Huntresses walked on in, with Eileen coming with her for the reason on clearing things up or so.

His home was as clean as one would have expected sort of. There was a small pile of papers on the kitchen table on the left side of the room. Looking at the living area to her right, she saw a few empty beer bottles on a coffee table. And at the kitchen counter, there were a pile of dishes in the sink, and by the look of the suds, he was in the middle of cleaning when they showed up.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured from the kitchen to the single couch in the living area. "Can I get you anything? A drink maybe?"

"No," Ella refused politely, "but thank you."

"I'll pass," said Eileen in nonchalance.

"Well alright then." He walked back to the living area. Ella and her father were sitting on the couch, and Eileen pulled up a chair from the dining table and joined them.

"So, how has your school career been going for you?"

"It's been going rather well." She answered gladly. "I do enjoy working with the students, of course."

"That is good to know. And I'm assuming you've gotten quite proficient at it."

"For the most part. I've even done substituting a couple of times." Then it was her turn to ask. "So how have you been?"

"I've been getting by, for good or bad." He answered. "I'm still working the factory job in the industrial district. The money I gain is enough to pay the bills for the most part."

She silently nodded. There was info on her father's manufacturing job. He was an associate of manufacturing furniture, and like he said, the pay he had been given was enough to get by.

"It's funny," he chuckled, "You were just a little girl when I last saw you. Now look at you, you're all grown up right front of my eyes, back all safe and sound."

"Yes, well, even though I've changed."

"I know, but I can clearly see you've been taking well after yourself." He chuckled again as a memory then surfaced. "I remember when you two had yet to understand how to tie your own shoes when you were five. Do you remember those times?"

She made to answer but… her mind went blank. She struggled to remember. She thought that his words would trigger something, but sadly, nothing came.

"...Are you all right?" He asked with concern.

"Mr. Fall," Eileen garnered his attention after witnessing what was happening and taking the opportunity to fix the situation. "There is another reason why she came to see you."

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" He was becoming a little more concerned.

"It's nothing too serious, but your daughter has amnesia." He looked at her perplexed as she continued. "We found her a few months ago in a fortified village outside of Vale, with no recollection of her past but her first name and her skill to slay monsters. It took her three months to recover bits and pieces of her memories on her own, and lucky for us, she remembered her family name.

"The reason we found you is simple; she wants to recover her past."

He looks to his daughter being a little distraught. "Is this true?"

"Yes, it is. Do you think you can help me, father?" Ella asked in small pleading.

Wilhelm took pause to think for a bit, but it did not take long to come to terms. She was his daughter, and he would do anything to help. "Of course. I'd be glad to help you." But he did not know where to start, so he looked to the Veteran Huntress. "Is there any way I can help?"

"You can give her details of an event, or perhaps some photos or.. items of personal value would help." She advised.

That could be easily done he thought, he already had some items to remember them by, and he could remember some events in detail. "Yeah… yeah I have a few of those." He agreed after thinking back. Then he got up. "Hold on, I'll be right back."

He walked away from the living area and into the kitchen, and after grabbing a couple photos off the refrigerator, he walked to his bedroom. "I was able to keep a few things to remember." He explained from the room as he rummaged around. "Your mother had taken most of the photos and memorabilia with her back to Animus."

He soon came back out with both of his hands full with photos and a single object. He sat back down and set them all on the coffee table, all spread out for her to see.

"All right, where to start…," he muttered as he pondered where to start. He soon chose one and picked up the photo of two girls sitting together in front of a birthday cake (the candles already blown out) while their father stood over them, all three of them smiling happily, but there was something goofy about the picture which made him chuckle a little. "This one was taken on your sixth birthday."

He passed it over to Ella, and she took the photo and looked over the details. The two of them looked happy together, but she giggled when she saw why. Their noses were covered in frosting, and so was Wilhelm. Her father began to explain the event in detail, but it proved unnecessary — the picture triggered a vivid flashback and memories came rushing in:

 _They were at a table, and her parents were singing happy birthday to her and her sister while the candles were still lit. When the chorus was over, the two simultaneously blew out the candles and the parents cheered. Their father Wilhelm went to the kitchen to do something, likely to grab a knife to start cutting up the cake. Then suddenly, Cindy thought it would be funny to put frosting on her sister's nose as she did just that. Then she whipped up a piece of frosting from the cake and placed it on Cindy's nose. Then the two just laughed, and when the parents saw this, they giggled at their little antics and the mother decided to take a picture along with the father. What happened made their mother laugh when the twins decided to give their father a frosting on his nose._

" _Okay, everyone smile~!" Her mother said as she aimed the camera. When the flash came,_ Ella was snapped back into reality.

"Ella, are you there?" Wilhelm asked her.

"Me and my sister were sitting at the table, with a cake being lit with candles," she recounted, her voice fragile as crystal. "You and mother were singing for us. After we blew out the candles, Cindy thought it would be funny to put frosting on my nose, so I did the same to her. We all laughed, and we put frosting on your nose as well." Wilhelm chuckled at that. "That's how we got this picture," she finished, her voice a bit steadier now and a smile on her lips.

"I'm glad." He said gladly as he patted her shoulder. "I'm very glad." She warmly smiled back for the appreciation.

"How about we try this then." He said after pulling his hand away and grabbing the only object he brought in. "I made this for you and Cinder as a Christmas present when you both were five." He explained as he handed it to her. It was a wooden model of a horse the size of her hand, and she could tell it looked to be maintained as it shined.

She put the photo back on the coffee table and took the wooden horse. She softly rubbed her thumb along its surface, feeling the smoothness which told her he put time and effort into it.

"To be fully honest," he added, "it was the first toy I ever made for you girls."

She suddenly had another flashback.

 _She was in a living room with her whole family present. A Christmas tree, covered in decorations and wires with colored light bulbs, stood colorfully in one side of the room, with many presents sitting under it. Soon they were passed out to the family, including her and her sister. Laughter and good conversation, a lot of torn papers on the floor, cameras flashing, and the twins finally got their chance to open their presents. They had a music cd, two different backpacks, and low and behold, they both had well carved, wooden horses. She and her sister were so happy when their father told them they were made by him._

 _Then another flash happened,_ and she was brought back to the present day again.

"We were all in the living room, the whole family gathered." She began her story. "There was positive energy in the air, lots of presents under a tree. I remember seeing torn papers everywhere on the floor. And you had that new toolset you always wanted."

"And they helped me pretty well," he commented as he listened.

"Eventually, me and my sister were next. We had ourselves a CD," she shook her head, "...I can't remember the name. Then we had our own backpacks."

"They were meant for your first day in school."

"Then our last present was a wooden horse. We loved it, and when you told us you made them… we were all happy..." Suddenly, a tear leaked from her eye and down her cheek. An emotion she hadn't felt before as she swapped the tear from her cheek.

Recovering memories was like digging buried treasure, she just would never know what kind of response she would get. As for Wilhelm, reliving those good times as she recited them as best she could felt like the best thing he would ever hear. What was even better, was that she was here, sitting right next to him.

"Hey," He said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Elly." She looked back at him with a warm smile, even at the nickname she hadn't heard in a very long time. "Now, how about we go over another photo, shall we?"

Then a thought came up which made her frown a bit. Seeing her twin sister in her memories, and remembering the profile showing she was missing, had made her wonder just what happened.

"Father, what happened to Cinder?" He halted midway hearing her name. "The files say she was missing."

His expression faltered, as he thought back on that day. "It's not that she was missing… it's just that.. I think she ran away."

"What do you mean she ran away?" She looked at him confused. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know." He sighed, and breathed in before he spoke. "When Cinder wanted to apply to be a Huntress, your mother flatout refused to let her go there. She couldn't get over what happened, and neither did your sister. She begged, and I had to step in to let her do it. Your mother gave in eventually, but then things got more uncomfortable as the years went by. On that night, your mother and I got into a heated argument over her future, over our future. And that night was the last time we saw her. Must've grown tired of us and just… went out to find you I guess." He rubbed his forehead to calm himself before continuing. "The Hunters couldn't find her. And eventually, she and I… she and I filed for divorce."

She did not know what to say. She simply remained in absolute silence.

"I know there's nothing I can say, for everything that's happened. I'm sorry."

For a moment, she did not say anything, only reminiscing on the information given. It would seem she ran away, just to find her, maybe. It would have been fruitless, but the thought of her being gone for so long would make her wonder; was she lost, or was she… she mentally shook it away. She had to be out there somehow, somewhere. Right now, though, this was still an opportunity to recover lost memories, and seeing her father in this state of reminisce made her feel guilty. So she changed the subject, though the info of her sister's disappearance was shelved in the back of her mind.

"Father," she garnered his attention, "let's go over the other photos, shall we?"

"Of course." He obliged.

* * *

After going over whatever memories she could recover, the next several hours were spent talking about their lives so far. They explained to each other how they had gotten to where they were, even though she revealed nothing of where she came back from. She did, however, tell him how she got motivated to find her family as she showed him the heart shaped necklace. He told her they were a gift to them on their sixth birthday. The three had dinner in his apartment, and eventually, at 7:35 pm, they said their goodbyes. She promised to come by sometime, and gave each other their number to talk to one another.

So Ella and Eileen headed to a hotel to sleep in for the night, and get ready for the airport to Mistral. But before they turned themselves in, however, Eileen was standing in Ella's room, waiting for an answer to their previous discussion.

"So," Eileen started with her arms folded, "now are you going to explain why you didn't bring your luggage?"

"Yes," she nodded. She then looked at the wall behind her teacher and raised her hand, and when she snapped her fingers, the coffin appeared and thudded against the wall. Eileen got caught by surprise and turned her upper body and head around to see the coffin laying against the wall.

"Did you just summon a coffin? Without the Doll being around?" She asked befuddlement.

"That's right." She confirmed with a smirk.

"As much as I'm amazed you can do that…," she turned back around to face her with a look of suspicion, "care to explain how you acquired this talent?"

"The Doll gave this knowledge to me." She shortly explained as she walked up to the coffin as she watched. She opened it, and pulled out her luggage and showed it to her. Then she snapped her fingers again and the coffin disappeared.

"You mean she gave you the insight to do it?" She grew more suspicious.

She set down the case, raised her hands defensively and shook her head. "No, It's not literal! She simply gave me the knowledge to do it. That's all."

"Hmm," she hummed with doubt, not truly believing directly at her apprentice, but what the Doll said to her. She would want to investigate this matter, but that curiosity would have to wait for another time.

"We'll talk about this some other time. And you should also inform Ozpin about this when you get the chance."

"I will."

"Good, then let's get some rest." She concluded, then she walked to the door. "Rest well, Ella."

"You, too." Once the door closed, she decided to lounge for bit. After that, she eventually got changed and got ready for bed. As she got in bed, she looked over at her nightstand, looking at her wooden horse she was given back from her father. Then she grabbed her silver heart pendant and opened it to look at the picture of the twins.

Learning about her sister running away had put a wrenching feeling in her heart, as if the closer she got, the more she would realize how far away finding her would be. She was not even certain if Cinder was still alive out there. Then she thought of her mother, how she never got over it and grew to be overprotective. The Good Hunter could not blame her. She just wanted to keep their precious treasure safe. She wondered what would happen if they meet again. Would she recognize her girl right away? Would she be happy to see her again? She shook the last thought, of course she would.

"Cinder… where are you?" She wondered out loud. She closed the locket and set the necklace back on the nightstand before turning off the lamplight. She needed to ready for a long journey. Good thing she would not be heading out defenseless.

* * *

 **A/N: All right, chapter 16 is officially and finally here. This time, Ella finally gets her information on her family, though sadly not turning out as she had hoped. She meets up with her father first and now they are heading to the kingdom of Mistral, which need I mind you that it would be taking them days to reach the village, their destination after the airport. So yeah, things are going to somewhat be looking up for her. And the action will be returning soon, I promise.**

 **I did say in the Summary that things are not as simple as they seem.**

 **Now, the poll results you all have been waiting for.**

 **A Lost Bloom in the Snow: 16**

 **Agents of Light: 12**

 **Rosario + Vampire: Cold Fury: 9**

 **So the winner is "A Lost Bloom in the Snow"! Sorry for those who wanted to read the other two, but Skyrim beats them to the punch. I'll be publishing the first chapter soon after this, and I hope the hard work gives off good results.**

 **Oh yeah, if I got Cinder's height wrong, I apologize. I just tried to understand what her height would be if she were 14. But no need to worry, she'll still be 5'10"/11" when she's grown up.**

 **Shoutout goes to, as usual, CruxMDQ for his beta reading and suggestions.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	17. Chapter 17

Bloodborne Twin Chapter 17

By early morning, they reached the airport. To Ella, it felt like this was her first time going through the process of customs, even though she remembered going in an airplane before with her mother. After confirming their tickets, taking the easy route thanks to their status, and waiting an hour to board the plane, the two were seated for an air flight to Anima. After spending over three months of traveling to and from the city of Vale by Bullhead, she gradually got used to being in the air, though she still meditated whenever she grew nervous. Three and a half hours of flight, and another half hour of going through the same thing later, and the two were out on the streets of a fortified port town.

The scenery was more fascinating in person than what she saw in the videos and books. The building architecture here was vastly different from Vale's, with its roofs being made of tiled brick which curled slightly upwards at the bottom. There were no asphalt made roads but with white brickwork, and not a single vehicle in sight besides wagons and horse powered carts. Even the trees and plants set in the right places were exotic and beautiful to behold. She had sometimes been told that the Mistralians were artists in both peace and war, although their rulers almost destroyed art and culture in favor of Atlas's cold logic ideology long ago. But the natives of this continent were stubborn enough to keep some alive to this day, and recently revived others.

"We have everything we need except for food." Eileen started. "Let's search in the marketplace and gather what we need for the long journey."

"Shouldn't we take a Zeppelin instead?" Ella suggested. "It can take us there faster."

From her studies, she learned of the different cultures and technologies of the four kingdoms– With Atlas being the most advanced, Vale coming in second, Mistral in third, and Vacuo at its lowest in fourth. Here in Anima, the kingdom lacked the modern/superior firepower of both Atlas and Vale, which also included modern air superiority. What they did have so far to keep the air for themselves were known as zeppelins; flying machines, although somewhat slow compared to the others, were made mostly for reconnaissance, rescue operations, and safe transportation. They had been used since they first started trading with Atlas, before the Great War, and they were not prudent to changing them any time soon.

Her mentor shook her head. "In this particular port town? There isn't one I'm afraid. So we'll have to get there by foot."

She let out a soft sigh. "Which means it's going to take us days to get there, but I'm sure we can handle anything that gets in our way." She confidently finished.

"We can get there within two days if we're unimpeded." She theorized. "For now, let's gather what we need."

She nodded, and the two then searched until they found themselves into the marketplace. This was not like the shops one would find in Vale. This was more like a farmer's market but with the addition of a general goods store being put outside and spread out. Just when the two were about ready to shop, Ella realized what she forgot to do. "You go on ahead, Eileen, I need to make a call."

"Shouldn't you have done that this morning?" She asked.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind." She replied defensively.

She almost rolled her eyes and exhaled through her nostrils. "Just do what you have to do, you know where to find me."

She turned and walked up to the stalls to find and start gathering. Ella soon pulled out her Scroll, tapped the number to Ozpin's office, and put it to her ear as it dialed. After two rings later, the call was finally answered. " _Yes, Miss Fall?"_

"Hey, I'm calling since I forgot to inform you about the Doll."

" _I see, so what is she able to do this time?"_ He asked patiently.

She had first and once informed him of the Doll's ability to change outfits with the snap of her fingers, though the information was considered mundane. This time, however, she believed it might be something to discuss about. "I've instantly learned to be able to summon my coffin yesterday, thanks to her."

There were a few seconds that ticked by until he responded. " _Instantly...and how were you able to accomplish this?"_

"She gave me the knowledge directly to my brain by simply touching my head, sir."

Then another pause. " _This is… I'm not sure what to say about this, Ella. Either this is disturbingly interesting, or an even bigger phenomenon."_

"I know," she nodded, "she keeps surprising me every time. Although I should tell you that the process was excruciating. It's like having my mind being pushed around to make room, or something like that."

" _I see. Please, describe to me how she did it."_

"She used both of her hands to touch certain parts of my head, then her fingers glowed. That's when the painful transfer starts."

" _Hmm, this is arcane magic in which I've never seen."_ He muttered, though she could hear him almost clearly on the other side.

'What does he mean by that?' She wondered until he shook her out of her thoughts.

" _Please continue to notify me of any developments in the future. Now, with the Doll aside, how are you getting along with the family, Miss Fall?"_ He asked personally.

"Better than I expected, really." She smiled as she told her situation. "I've already visited my father, and things have gone very well between us. Now Eileen and I are here in Anima. I'm hoping my mother's reaction is the same."

" _I'm certain your mother would be very happy to see you after so long, I have no doubt about it."_ He reassured, then changed the subject. " _Well, I should get back to work. Good luck to you both on your journey. And remember; if you decide to retire or continue your career, let me know."_

"I will." She nodded. "Thank you, and good day to you."

 _"_ _You as well."_ She hung up the call, and slid the Scroll back in her pocket. She was having a good feeling about this little adventure, but at the same time, it still made her nervous no matter the circumstance. She would just have to go there and see what happens. She then turned her head back to the marketplace, darting her eyes to scour for her master as she soon found her, standing in front of a meat stall haggling. She turned about and walked to her, maybe to give her an extra hand, just in case.

* * *

After spending time at the market stalls, gathering what essentials they needed, and spending an hour having lunch at a restaurant, the two were seen walking out of the gates and into the open dirt road. Once they were under the canopy of trees, the environment surrounding her on both sides had the most exotic scenery she could ever lay eyes upon, with the trees, the shrubbery, and even the landscape themselves being most foreign to her. They were traveling lightly, mainly from Eileen taking full advantage of using her coffin when they secretly threw the provisions in there. Eileen had taken a liking to the idea, never having to burden themselves with the weight on their backs, and to easily be ready for any danger coming to them.

Almost several hours had passed since they set foot on the path, and so far, there had been no Grimm coming to try and kill them. It was good enough for the both of them, more so for Ella's sake, but there was one thing bothering her since they left town. She had not noticed it before, but when she glances at Eileen from time to time, she saw her being more wary of her surroundings, and her hands were always near her blade. She could understand why since the Kingdom of Mistral was a hot zone for, not only Grimm, but something just as worse lurking within the countryside.

Bandits: bad folk who were forced into a life of lawlessness, or simply chose to take the life of banditry, made a living off of raiding and stealing. She had heard a few stories about those kind of people. They tend to attack villages who would be less defended and take whatever they wanted, leaving the survivors in a state of fear from the aftermath to draw in the Grimm. Other times, they would ambush merchant and trade caravans to gain their own incentive. Which was why almost every village, town, and caravaneer had a few or more hunters to keep them safe.

They were a dangerous nuisance to civilization to the Good Hunter's understanding, and she had heard more than a few tales of Hunters who went as far as breaking their code and getting themselves either arrested or fired after wiping out bandit tribes, stating it was better to put them down now and spare the continued grief. She once brought up the idea to her master of hunting bandits like beasts, believing that no one would ever know what happened to them, but Eileen quickly shot the idea down. The veteran Huntress lectured and made her swear to keep the code of sparing lives, and the two never brought it up again.

Ironically, she, too had been doing the same thing, keeping her hand near her weapon, and keeping her senses sharp for anything wrong, but not as intensely as her master. She knew that just the two of them alone could handle anything the opposition would throw at them, caution or no, so there would have been no need to be this worrisome, yet she remained tense. What could possibly make a veteran Huntress like her be this apprehensive she wondered. She had to shrug it off as nothing. Right now, she had to remain vigilant as well.

Eventually they came across a fork in the road going in three directions, with a signpost bearing several signs as arrows pointing in the three directions. Ella found the sign bearing the name "Elatorion" pointing to the southwest-by-south road. They followed the sign and were about to head that way when they heard rustling from the foliage. Ella tensed up, with one hand on her weapon, ready for action when a pack of beowolves burst out from one side of the forest and typically surrounded them. There were typically thirty of them, and the alpha was usually hiding somewhere. She looked to Eileen to see, to her confusion, that she was simply relaxed and not going for her weapons.

"Hey, Eileen?" She asked. "Why aren't you getting ready?"

"I think it's time you showed me what you're capable of so far." She answered casually as she leaned a bit sideways and crossed her arms, being fearless and carefree even while being surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters. "Think you can do it?"

Not wanting to argue with her master's request, she nodded and then got ready, but then a thought had come to mind when she realized she was not wearing the proper outfit for the job. She smirked remembering what she brought with her, stood straight and and raised her hand. Eileen raised her eyebrow curiously at her pupil's body language, wondering what she was thinking when the Good Hunter suddenly snapped her fingers, and a coffin appeared on the ground beside her, startling the beowolves. The coffin was opened up, and she dived into the blackness, now drawing the Grimm into more grunts of confusion. Eileen, on the other hand, knew what was up when she easily put two and two together.

It was only a short moment, then Ella jumped out of the darkness of the coffin surprising the Grimm, no longer wearing a casual travel outfit, but back into her Huntress outfit. In her hands were holding two pistols: one in white and the other in black. The white one was her Winter Eagle she still kept since Huckleberry, and the other was the same model but painted in the opposite color. She pressed the switch on both of her pistols and the clips stuck out, the upper body of the guns moved slightly apart to reveal something sharp within, and then they sprung out as twin, single edged blades to form as swords. She had been saving up her lien to buy a second Winter Eagle and give these pistols an upgrade which fit her style. Accuracy, stopping power, deadly grace and sharpness; it suited her well.

She was told that the Hunter's of Remnant have a tradition of naming the weapons of their creation, and although she never made these pistols herself, and neither did she have the knowledge to build them besides the weapons she knew from the Hunt and maintaining them, nonetheless she had given these two their names; dubbing them Luna and Midnight respectively.

The beowolf in front of her lost its patience and went to tackle her just to rip her to shreds but…

She had a predatory smile on her lips, and in an instant, she dashed. It was quick, there was no sign of using her hunter's bone, and the beowolf was cut to ribbons as she was crouched down behind the dismembered beast. She stood back up in a relaxed stance, with her swords lowered to the ground. When she pressed her thumbs against the metal backside of her blades, she channeled her Semblance into the metal, and the blades were quickly superheated. That was the sign for Eileen to transform into a shadow crow and fly away from the inevitable carnage as the Grimm finally charge at her, ignoring the flying faux bird entirely as she swerved around and passed through the openings.

She eagerly spun about halfway and dashed straight into the one closest to her, never letting it get the chance to attack while being burned easily to pieces. Then she simultaneously cut the arm off the next and cut its head off to silence it's screams, and while she ducked under a bite and stabbed the offender through the chest as she pulled out and kept on burning and cutting them all in lightning speeds, all while snuffing out each cry of burning pain in an instant.

Over the course of three months, her Aura control had immensely improved under her master's tutelage. It is a method of boosting parts of your body, every tissue and muscle, and even your stamina to last much longer on the battlefield. Through meditations and exercises, her pool had grown larger for more use of her Semblance, and with the combination of her control over her speed and deadly use of her Semblance, she became a fiery whirlwind of death. She no longer needed the Old Hunter's Bone, she finally had the speed she needed to never use it again.

After cutting off the head of the Grimm, she bounced backwards off its corpse, spun around and used both her hot blades to cut the last minion down in a crisscross and splitting off in four pieces, landing in a crouch. After the dead beast fell apart, she stood back up and waited for the alpha to appear, but she did not have to wait as the alpha charged out of the foliage with rage and vengeance. Instead of cutting it to charred pieces, she stabbed her heated blades into the dirt and faced the beast head-on. She ducked and skidded left underneath a furious assault, then turned to face it and pushed herself forward, making a short forward jump and bear hugging the alpha so hard onto the ground. Its back was to the ground, and she was sitting right on top of it. She giggled softly and lecherously, but not in the way anyone else would think as she slammed her palms onto its bone armored, furry chest.

She channeled a lot of heat into its body quickly, and the alpha combusted from the inside out in an instant, screaming bloody murder before its death. The fire was so hot the monster disintegrated quickly into nothing but ash and smoke before it could evaporate like the others. She corrected her footing, and walked out of the smoke to show her attire and herself had been unscathed. She wore a casual smile as if this was just another day, then breathed in and exhaled into a relaxed state, feeling a bit better now that she did not have to hold back out here anymore.

She hummed a small tune as she turned around and walked over to her planted swords. They were still hot as she wrapped her fingers around the handle and absorbed whatever heat was left, but then the skin of her hands and forearms were still being red, indicating that she absorbed more than she needed. So she had that fixed by raising her hands away from herself and ejecting the excess heat off. Her skin soon turned back to normal, and then proceeded to pull out her gun swords, retracted the blades, and twirled them before sliding them back into their holsters in one smooth motion.

"Okay, what do you think now Eileen?" She asked casually with a smirk as turned around to face her teacher, now back on solid ground in her human form. "Has my training paid off?"

"Your speed has improved," she answered critically as she crossed her arms, "so it looks like you won't be needing the Hunter's Bone anymore. Your swordplay is still as good as always if not better, and you used only your swords instead of your guns to make things more quieter... if not for their screams." She mused. "Still, this was a small pack. I've yet to see how you can handle a horde this time."

"I've already took on a horde of them before." She reminded.

"Yes, but that was during your initiation, and you barely survived that!" She chastised. "So as of right now, I do believe you're capable of handling them more proficiently on your own."

"Guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?"

"Indeed," she nodded, "now let's move on, shall we?" Eileen gestured to the dirt road ahead of them, and the two resumed their travel to Elatorion.

* * *

Although it had been over two hours since their short skirmish with the enemy, the two Huntresses had decided to stop and make camp near the road. They made a serving of stew over a fire as their supper for tonight, keeping the fires low enough to not catch anyone's attention.

"Hmm, the taste is decent enough. Well done, Ella." She complimented after taking her serving of stew.

"Thanks," she nodded. Cooking is an essential part of everyday life, from cooking meals at home, to cooking what is necessary in the wilderness. It was important for all Huntsman and Huntresses to know even the most basic cooking skills in order to survive outside the protective walls of the kingdoms. Ella had learned well over time how to cook at home, thanks to Iosefka's guidance, but the new challenge was cooking outside her home. They had gathered enough food for a two-three day trip to Elatorion, but Ella had been tasked with learning how to ration her food supply. She had never done this before, and never had she camped out in the wilderness for this long. Save for when she first traveled with her to the city, but they were eating food rations, so that never counted.

The two stayed in silence eating their stew, and they stayed that way for a while. Ella was quietly slurping and chewing up what she needed, making herself feel a little at ease since she sensed no danger lurking about, but all the same she still kept her ears open. Eileen, on the other hand, when she glanced up at her from her meal from time to time, was being so still, moving her eyes at one area and the next while eating quietly. Her expression was straight and subtly cold. Her blade was out of her belt strap and on the grass right next to her, ready to use it when something does happen. This reminded her somewhat of the urban jungle experience at night, but Ella was feeling this was something else. Now she was beginning to feel more concerned about her friend, and she could not hold them back any longer.

"Eileen?" The veteran huntress made a short hum, her focus broken as she looked back at her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she nonchalantly replied, "why do you ask?"

"Ever since we've been traveling down this road, you've been acting rather… off. It was kind of subtle but I've been noticing it. It's as if you don't seem to trust everything that's around you. Is there something dangerous I should know about?"

"None of the sort we can't handle." She answered. "I simply don't like being here."

This only made her more curious. "Is there someone after you?"

"More like several," she corrected. "I made some enemies in Anima during my days here. They're not the powerful types, worry not, but they do hold a grudge against me. This is my problem to deal with, there is no need for you to be concerned."

"Are you sure?" She questioned. "We're still partners after all, aren't we?"

"Yes, but as I said before, this my problem to deal with."

She opened her mouth—

"End of discussion!" She quickly shut her up with finality in her words. This took Ella in hurtful surprise, but otherwise she backed down. She never expected her master to refuse her help, because in her mind it was logical to resolve it together. Could this be too personal, or was it more complicated? There were more things about the Night Huntress than she already knew, and by the serious aura she was giving off, she knew there would be no point in trying to argue with her.

The Veteran Huntress looked up at the night sky. "It's already nighttime now, let's put everything away and call it a night." The Good Hunter sighed with resignation, and the two got started putting away the utensils and tools and putting the leftovers in separate containers for later, cleaning the bowls with a rag and a bottle of water and putting them all back inside the coffin.

"Just as we discussed," Eileen started after the utensils and leftovers were put away. "We'll take turns on watch until sunrise. Go get yourself some rest until I wake you."

"...All right," she said before turning herself in on the blanket laid out on the ground, and soon rested her head on a makeshift pillow. She could not sleep, not while her mind was still reeling, but after a while, her eyes were growing heavy, and eventually, she fell asleep.

Eileen kept listening to everything around her, glancing about from one spot to the next, moving her head a little, all while still sitting on her makeshift bed. She then looked back down on Ella's sleeping form with a pang of guilt. She knew she meant well, and it would have been wise of her to lend a hand, but the Night Huntress did not wish to drag her down into her troubles. The girl was powerful enough to handle anything, even though she just did not know it yet, but this was not her problem to fix.

This was simply her problem to resolve on her own accord. Besides, the several others who held a grudge against her would not dare to try and hunt her. They were cowardly after what she had done to them, but… There was only one person in this kingdom who would have no problem taking her on. The only person who used to be a friend, but had since turned her back on the world, including her. She could only hope that that someone did not know she would be here.

Friend… it was almost a fragile thing to her heart, she would admit it. Seeing her friend and pupil now in a new light…

Suddenly, she heard the sound of flapping and soft cawing going across in front of her. Her eyes looked up at the shadowy figure of a bird flying low until it perched onto a tree branch, faintly illuminated by the fire. It turned itself around by jumping once. It was a black bird, but to Eileen as her expression became serious, her eyes becoming narrow as she glanced intensely at the bird, knew that this was no ordinary blackbird, nor was it a Grimm. The bird stared back with its crimson irises, not even cawing again and turned its head to the side, looking back at her with its one eye. The two did not remove their eyes from each other as the quiet tension grew between them. Eileen's hand was slowly and unconsciously hovering over her blade. The bird soon saw the action happening, and after a tense minute of consideration, it flew away.

She breathed out the air she held inside her lungs through her nostrils, but it was not out of relief. 'She knows I'm here,' she thought bitterly. It had been a long time since she last met her, and it would seem they would be seeing each other again, and to Eileen's perspective, hopefully on neutral terms. If not…

* * *

After nine hours of switching places to watch, the two made breakfast over the fire. They had bacon and eggs, and Eileen brewed coffee for the both of them. Coffee was not really one Ella preferred, but it did give her the buzz she needed to wake up. They broke off camp, gathered everything and headed on back to the road.

During the whole day of their trip, for some strange reason, they had not run into any Grimm. Ella had begun to chalk it up to dumb luck, but the Veteran Huntress thought otherwise. When night came, however, they were almost caught by surprise by a wandering pack of Grimm, but the duo made easy work of the monsters. On the next day, the duo eventually saw the silhouettes of buildings and walls through the foliage further ahead of them. As she predicted, they made it to Elatorion within two days without much incident.

"This must be it, we're getting close now to seeing your mother." Eileen concluded as she turned to her. "Are you ready?"

She paused in a moment of hesitation, a bit nervous like before, but she then breathed deep and let the worries fade away as she breathed out. "Yeah… I'm ready."

"Hm, there will be no need to be nervous about this. I'm sure your mother will embrace you with open arms." She reassured her.

She gave a short grunt as she nodded, then the two went forward to the town's gate. In the clearing, they walked passed fenced fields of grape vines on either side of the road. Upon getting close to the walls and the Lone gate, she saw guards wearing a strange set of armor and weapons unlike Mistral's military. They were armor plated from top to bottom artistically almost in the shape of muscles which fit their physique perfectly, and their helmets were stylized with some kind of hairy mohawk. They also wore some kind of skirt or sash, but was somewhat protected by leather strips. They carried large round shields that were of bronze color, and their weapons were that of spears, with the spearheads clearly made of steel.

She had gained little information about Mistral's variety and tactics when it came to their military, sadly due to the libraries being burned long ago, but she did get some snippets of that knowledge from an old book that survived, briefly mentioning warriors using spears and large round shields as a spear wall called a phalanx.

They got close to the gate, but the guards suddenly halted their efforts by standing in front of them with their spears leaning forward.

"Halt, strangers!" Said the guard on their right in a wary, no-nonsense tone. "State your business here."

The two Huntresses did not expect this, but all the same they should not be surprised given where they were. They turned their heads halfway to glance at each other, metaphorically reading each other's minds before Ella took two steps forward. "I'm here to see a woman named Selene Loukas," she explained her intentions cordially. "Her last name was formerly Fall."

The guards looked to each other with some skepticism, then the guard looked to her with suspicion followed by his duty. "I'll need to see identification. Pull your wallet out slowly."

She slowly took out her wallet from the folds of her coat as was told, just to not spook the guards she supposed. She then unfolded it, pulled out her Huntress ID and handed it out to him. The guard retracted his spear, strapped it to his side and took the offered card to inspect it.

"So you're a Huntress," said the guard, a bit surprised on his features after taking a quick look at the card. He then looked back at her. "And your last name is Fall. Are you her daughter?"

"Yes." She answered truthfully and without hesitation.

"I see… Yes, we do have a Selene Loukas living here. She runs a class and instructs Yoga. My wife attends to her sessions." Ella had already known about her profession from the file she read, and had remembered the address in her head. There was just only one complication…

She continued the conversation. "I see. And I'm glad she's still here." She put back her returned card into her wallet, while the guard brought his spear back out. "Do you know where I can find her?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, but no. I never bothered paying a visit to her class, and neither do I bother knowing where she lives. You'll have to ask around in order to find her."

"I see."

"So what about your friend beside you?" Asked the other guard as he looked stone face at Eileen.

"She's a Huntress as well."

"I'm still gonna need some ID, lady." He demanded evenly. Eileen sighed softly with annoyance, already having her wallet and ID out just in case and simply showing it in front of his face for him to see. "Uh, Right. It's legitimate too."

"You two can come on through then, but don't go causing any trouble, understand?" He asked them both sternly at the end as the two guards moved back to their positions beside the entrance to let them through. The two Huntresses nodded, and the guard looked back at the gate and shouted: "Open the gate! We've got traveling Huntresses!"

Someone clearly heard him from the other side, and as they all saw the reinforced gate sliding apart into the walls. "Welcome to Elatorion."

The two Huntresses nodded in thanks, and then proceeded on through the opened entrance. Past the entrance, they were witnessed to a totally different scenery from Mistral's port town. Their buildings were made of marble and brick, with most of them being plastered white, or that some were painted a different color such as red, sky blue or pink. Their roofs varied from being flat to having a round dome, painted in blue. The roads were made of cobbled stone yet were well done, smooth and maintained. There were vines and flowers which added more to its beauty. Elatorion was considered to be a port town, and as they walked further in to the town in wonder, they see that the elevation was going downhill, all the way into port. Overall, it was truly a drastic yet breathtaking change of scenery, even for Ella as she audibly whispered wow in awe.

"Indeed," Eileen agreed.

She continued admiring the view until she hummed in question when she saw a hanging sign to her right. It was written in a foreign language that she nor Eileen could decipher. This was the complication they were going to run into, and the reason they were going to be asking around instead of looking. Eileen admittedly had never visited places like these, so she never learned the people's written language.

"This town is rather large, though." Eileen continued. "Like he said, we'll have to ask around for directions to her home."

"Right, since we can't obviously read the language here. We could ask for directions to the yoga class, maybe." She suggested. "It's still rather early, and I'll bet it's still opened."

"We'll just have to see." The veteran Huntress looked around and spotted a young, clean shaved man wearing a red toga, short pants and sandals. "Excuse me, sir." She called out to him as she walked up to him, gaining his attention as he looked in her direction.

"Uh, yes?" He asked unsurely.

"Do you by any chance know a woman named Selene Loukas? She lives here."

"N-No, I don't believe I know that name. Sorry."

"I see. And do you know of a yoga class around here?"

"I believe so…," he wondered aloud. "Although you're going to have a hard time finding one here. Places like that are all spread out among the various levels of this town, you see. Even I wouldn't know where all of them are since I never visit those places. So you might want to ask around in the market level. They're at the lower level near the docks." He pointed his finger straight down the hill toward the docks, where several fishing boats were currently moored.

"I see, thank you."

"No problem. Now, if you don't mind, I should be getting back home."

"So long, then." She turned around and headed back to her apprentice while the young man went his way. "It's not much of a lead but hopefully someone in the market level will tell us where to find it."

"It's good that we're starting somewhere." She shrugged with agreement. "Besides, at least we get to see more of the local flavor here."

"True, but let's stick to the task first, then you can sightsee to your heart's content later." The duo turned about and walked down all the way to the market level at a casual yet careful pace. Once they reached the level, they were introduced to a wondrous sight indeed. On this street corner at the market level, the patio doors were painted in various colors, probably to signify which is which. There were a few buildings that hung potted plants and had pottery next to the doors to give a classic look. The signs were hung by hand made metal hangers elaborately looking like vines. There were also these vine-like trees which stretch all the way to the rooftops and crisscrossed the open sky, with bundled purple flowers dangling from the twiglike branches. To the duo, they first thought they had just walked into a realm of fantasy.

"Alright, you go down this street and ask these people if they know about her or her whereabouts." Eileen told her. "I'll go to the street across from here."

"Okay." The two split off in search of answers, and Ella walked up to the first few people sitting around a table outside a coffee shop.

"Excuse me...," she said politely garnering their attention from whatever conversation they were having. Two of them were elderly men and third a woman. "I'm new around here, and I'm searching for a relative of mine named Selene Loukas. Do any of you know her?" She pulled out a photo of her mother while she spoke. Then she gave the photo to them. The one to her left, an old man with balding gray hair and spectacles, took the photo and examined it.

"Selene? Hmmm… I think I know that name but… where…?" The old man pondered aloud as he looked away from the photo.

"Let me see that." Said the man with long gray hair and a hat who sat across from him. His friend gave the photo to him and made a quick look over. His features creased. "I don't believe I've met her. Sorry."

"May I?" The old lady asked, and he passed the photo to her. "hmm yes, I've seen her face before." The old lady said after confirming with her memory. "She comes to the market level often, and she sometimes comes through here."

"Do you by chance know where she lives?"

"Sorry dear, I don't." She apologizes as she gives the photo back.

"I see," she said a little solemnly as she took the photo back. "Then perhaps you've heard of a yoga class around here called Loukasia?"

"Oh, I believe I…" Then suddenly she had look of realization. "Yes, I do remember. It's been set up here, last I read, but I never visit there knowing my age, so I don't know where it is I'm afraid."

"I see. Thank you for your help anyways. I'll leave you all alone then, thank you." She was about to walk away when…

"Hold on." The kind old lady stopped her. "Take my advice. Just ask the women around here. The men here don't take yoga. I'm sure one of the young ladies will point you in the right direction."

"Thank you for the tip. Good day to you." She left them alone and went searching for the women down the street.

She had come up to a few women on this level, thinking one of the natives might know, but sadly they all had no information on her whereabouts or the yoga building. She did, however, get a tip that Selene mostly visits the next street down. So she went down the next level, asking several more girls, but even they did not know. Most of them had turned out to be tourists on vacation, so it was going to be obvious they would have little information. It was becoming one dead end after another, and she sighed after failing to gain information from the next one.

"This is turning out to be harder than I thought." She muttered to herself in complaint as she massaged her temples, feeling a little regret in asking only the women. "I mean, how can nobody know where one person lives?!" She was looking up in her complaint when she saw a sign with the drawn picture of a wine bottle and a few grapes with various colors. Even if she could not read it, she could hardly guess it was a wine shop. She had a few wines back in her apartment besides tea, just for simple luxury while reading a book. There were only a few she liked so far, and she preferred to be a light drinker.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look inside." She suggested herself. She walked under the sign, opened the door with a dinging sound of a bell and walked into the shop. The singing of the bell alerted whoever worked here as she heard the store clerk.

"Welcome! How can I help you, miss?" The clerk was a lady around her mid forties by the look of her features. She had light tan skin and wore a green stylish tunic shirt which accentuated her figure (as far as she could tell from above the counter). With dark brown braided hair and blue eyes, and a sharp face so attractive to any man.

Then Ella looked around herself, seeing a vast assortment of bottles being placed in a wall of racks. All the dark green walls in the room had racks filled or nearly filled with them. The two round tables had bottles placed standing up, as another, smaller table stacked at the center had more bottles on top. It helped her confirm after seeing the labels of red and white that she was indeed in a wine shop.

"This is quite the establishment you have here." She praised. "And I must say you have quite the selections here."

"Truly, and you should consider yourself lucky." She spoke rather alluringly with a passion which spoke salesmanship. "Apothica. Red Autumn. Osmanthus. Museles. Obelisk Wine. And of course, our town's Lyndel Wine. I have many, and I make it a habit of gathering good wine from all the four kingdoms." She then casually spread her arms out in greeting. "This establishment you're standing in, this is Elana's Vine; the most frequented shop for tourists and natives alike, and the only shop that sells the best wine grown here and outside of Elatorion." She introduced her shop with an honest, besmirching smile, then introduced herself as she placed her hand on her chest. "I'm Angelina Vascou. If there's a certain flavor you're looking for, I'm sure I might have it here."

"You sound very passionate of your work here." She observed.

"Hmhm, isn't it obvious?" She chuckled under her breath at the compliment as she crossed her arms. "Did you know that high quality wine used to be considered a beverage meant only for the rich and noble? Well today, everyone can have a taste of such quality luxury… with the right price of course. So what'll it be?" She asked as she placed her hands back on her hips. "Any brand that catches your eye?"

She knew an exaggerated advertisement when she heard one, but looking at all the selections of wine here nearly made it sound true. She was feeling tempted to buy a new kind of wine, but she had to remain at her task. "I thank you for the offer, and I do feel tempted to buy something good, but I'm not ready to buy a beverage just yet. There is, however, someone dear to me living here and I'm looking for her."

"Oh? Is this someone a lover, or perhaps a relative?" She asked with a raised brow of curiosity and she crossed her arms again.

"A relative." She answered. "She goes by the name of Selene Loukas. Do you, by any chance, know her?"

"Do I? Why of course I know her." The clerk was a bit surprised someone knew her as she sincerely smiled. "In fact, she and I are good friends since I first attended her class." A glimmer of hope was growing inside Ella once she heard of their status. "Are you her niece perhaps?"

"Actually, I'm her daughter."

"Wait…," she was calmly taken aback with this information. Then she looked at her, wondering until she snapped her fingers. "Ah, are you Cinder? Because I must say, your mother truly misses you."

"I'm not Cinder." She shook her head. "I'm actually her second daughter, Ella."

If she thought she would never be surprised, she was now. She took a step back and gasped softly as her eyes widened. "Oh my…!" Was what she could say in exasperation before trying to come back to her senses. "She told me she had two daughters once, but never spoke too much about her past. I thought it was a touchy subject so I never pushed it."

"Please…," Ella pleaded as she walked up to the counter. "Tell me where she lives. I… I don't understand the written language here."

"O-Of course! I can help you with the address, and the directions to her house. Hold on, let me find a piece of paper just a second." As Angelina ducked down searching for a pen and paper, Ella's hopes were coming to fruition as she grew excited inside. "Here we are." She said as she got back up with a stretch of paper in one hand, and a pen in the other as she set on the counter to write. "So here's where you need to go." She started writing down the address. "First, you need to…"

She was halted in her writing when she heard the bell ringing above the front door. Someone had come in, and she was still on the job. "Hold on a sec…," she then spoke up to the newcomer. "Welcome to Elan–a's…" Her voice got hitched by the sight of the familiar friend she spoke about.

"Angie? What's wrong? Why are you looking so surprised?"

Ella turned around to see why she stopped talking, and investigated the owner's voice when she softly gasped. Standing near the door was her mother. She still had those features and graying hair from the photo last she looked, and she still looked as beautiful like a goddess in her age, body and all. She wore casual attire, with a light shirt and jeans and leather sandals. She was also carrying a red purse in her hand.

The two of them looked at each other, not certain who should start when Ella finally spoke one word. "Mother?" She asked merely loud enough for her mother to hear her.

"Cinder? …Is that you?" She asked as well, a little uncertain but knew what she looked and (almost) sounded like the last time she saw her little girl. She looked so beautiful and feminine like herself, but her hairstyle and attire almost threw her off.

"No… but your second daughter never forgets." She understood that her mother would not tell the difference, though she could not help but let it sting her a little.

"Second… *gasp*!" She gasped in realizing disbelief as her eyes widened, and her left hand went up to her lips while her right went weak enough for her purse to fall to the floor. Her emotions were roiling inside her as she tried to hold them back. Old memories were surging to the surface, to when she remembered the good times when she had two daughters in her life. This had to be a dream she thought, but she wanted to know. She wanted to believe. "...Ella?"

Ella for her part was doing her very best to hold back the tears. Although her questioning made her heart ache, but at least she still had proof of her existence. She walked up to her as she reached up to the back of her neck and unclasped the lock keeping her necklace together. She soon now stood nearly face to face with her mother, and she offered the silver heart shaped locket to her, which she recognized right away.

She gently took the the locket to examine it. She opened it up to reveal two familiar little girls smiling together, with the insignia etched into the metal saying 'together and always'. A single tear managed to escape from her eye. She closed the locket and turned it over… to reveal the name of the owner standing in front of her. The floodgates could no longer hold back the tears as she looked back at her long lost daughter, now truly believing who stood in front of her, here and now. There was something she wanted to say, figuring out where to start, but her words were trapped inside her throat when all she could do was sob.

"I've come home," Ella spoke weakly as she, too could no longer hold back the tears, and the feelings of longing had come back two fold.

Selene closed the small gap between them and eagerly embraced her daughter, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly as she sobbed more. "My baby…!" she said between sobs. "My baby!"

Ella returned the gesture, trying not to weep so much as her mother, but she could not help but sniff from time to time. The warm feeling of reunion, of reconnection… it all came back to her again. She did not want to let this feeling go, though of course, neither wanted to let each other go.

All the while, Angelina was moved to tears as she watched. She stayed silent for them. She understood from her friend how much this meant for her. From the times she had asked her about her marriage, Selene would only give short pieces of information. When she brought up the subject if she had any daughters, however, she told her of the times she had with her two little girls, but spoke nothing more on what happened to them. From then on, she stayed away from it for her friend's sake.

Eventually, her mother regained most of herself and almost broke off, having her left hand (holding the necklace) to rest on her shoulder while her right hand moved to caress her cheek, and her thumb gently wiping away the tears and rubbing against the strands of her ashen black hair while she had a sad smile. "I have waited.. for so long."

"Now you no longer have to, mother. I'm home now." Her cheeks streaked with glistening tear stains, with her cracking smile still on her lips.

"Yes… Yes you are." She guided her daughter's head forward, and she kissed her on the forehead before releasing her gentle hold and looking into her eyes again. "I'm sure we have much to catch up on."

She nodded, and they went back into their embrace, even if just for a little longer.

* * *

They both walked outside of the wine shop. Her mother led the way out of the narrow street, leading her to her abode after agreeing to talk more inside her home. Once they stepped foot on the main street…

"Ella, I've found… oh." Eileen stopped herself when she saw her mother. "I see you found your mother." They both looked in her direction to see a young woman standing next to her. "And sooner than I imagined."

"Of course," Ella said now standing between them before introductions were made. "This is Selene, my mother." She gestured, then she looked to Selene. "Mother, this is Eileen. She's my partner, and also my teacher."

"Teacher?" She questioned with both raised eyebrows. "Teacher of what?"

"We're Huntresses, Miss Loukas, and Ella is currently my pupil." Eileen explained.

"Oh really?" She asked evenly as she then looked at her with that "look".

"Uh, mother? Why are you giving me that look?" Ella asked with some apprehension as she leaned away from her a bit.

"... Let's talk about it more at my house, okay?" She sighed.

"Um, okay." She was uncertain what that was about, until she remembered her father saying she did not want Cinder to be a Huntress. It was probably the grief of hearing the name which stuck with her.

Then she changed the subject as she looked back at her teacher. "So I'm guessing she was to be our guide?" She asked about the girl standing next to her.

"She was, yes.. but it seems that won't be necessary."

"Hey, teach, how's it going?" The girl asked.

"Very well." Selene answered glady. "And how has the technique I gave been coming along?"

"It's going great, ma'am." She answered with enthusiasm. "I haven't felt this much better in years."

"That's good to know, dear."

"So, Eileen, will you be joining us?" Ella asked.

"Not this time." She turned down. "This is a moment between you and your mother. I'll just be staying at the inn tonight." She half lied. "Are you going to be staying at her place then?"

"Maybe, we'll just have to see."

"Alright, I'll pass the information on if you do. though you should come back and grab your things."

"I understand." She nodded. She also knew the reason behind the excuse. They did hide their luggage in a magic coffin with them at the time, so they would have to find a nice spot to pull them out without causing suspicion.

"So, shall we head home then?" Her mother asked. "I would very much like to catch up on everything."

"Yes, let's…" The two then went off in the direction of her home, then Ella glanced back at her teacher and waved her hand. "Have fun!"

"You too." Eileen smirked, then turned to the girl. "You don't mind having the time to show me around?"

"I don't mind at all," she said. "I know a very nice place to visit. Follow me." The girl led the way down the street, all while Eileen took her time to look at all the scenes around her. And so the two Huntresses parted ways for one day.

* * *

 **A/N: And another chapter done! Hope you like the emotional reunion I worked so hard to make (and I hope I did not overdo it), and that certain, familiar someone who decided to pay them a visit that night. It won't be the last time we see that** _ **bird**_ **, I promise you.**

 **Now, you all might be thinking, "Kyro, why are you making a light hearted story when this has Bloodborne (a dark, bloody game of nightmares and rage quitting) in the Crossover?" I know, I know, but there's a reason why I'm putting the light hearted beginning, and why I chose to have her parents be alive than dead. I'll reveal more in the coming chapters, but I'll tell you this: This story will not be as light hearted after Volume 1, and things will start to go dark… fast. All I ask is for all you dear readers to be patient with me. Also, I do promise to bring more Bloodborne character appearances in the future, so I'll be looking forward to writing about their new life in Remnant.**

 **About Elatorion. Since looking back at Pyrrha Nikos, I thought to myself that perhaps Mistral has its own diverse culture, but since we never got to see that in the series, I figured I might as well create one with a Greek theme to them. I hope you guys like what I've made.**

 **Right now, this is simply an unedited chapter that is yet to be proofread by my friend CruxMDQ, so until he gets back, this'll be what it looks like since I did not want to keep you guys waiting for so long.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


	18. Chapter 18

Bloodborne Twin: Chapter 18

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Selene said happily as they reached her house.

"It looks really nice," Ella noted in compliment.

The house itself looked just as tall as the other houses at two stories, but a bit wider, and it stood out a bit more with its exterior walls being painted a light shade of tan. Its window covers and roofs, one as the porch roof and the next one level up, were painted red. Even the waxed front door was painted a shade of red. Pottery planted near the door gave it a hint of liveliness. A sign hung above the door showing the name in a language she could not understand.

"Mother," she said as she pointed her finger at the hanging sign, "what does that sign say?"

"It says Loukasia: Yoga & Meditation Sessions," her mother answered, but then she remembered something and wanted to know: "Do you remember when I taught you two about my people's written language?"

"I'm sorry," she shook her head in sympathy, smoothly concealing the twinge of embarrassment and pain that the shame for her amnesia caused her,"it's been so long that I can't remember a word of it."

"I see...," she frowned a bit, "I was teaching you the basics back then. So I suppose I can understand."

Seeing her frown had made Ella change the subject back to the current topic. "So, your house is both a class and a home?" She asked curiously with raised brows.

"Mhmm," Selene nodded with her frown disappearing, "One of the rooms was large enough to become a classroom, so I figured I'd put my talents to good use and teach the people here. So I made myself the owner and teacher of this yoga class."

"And it's a business, right? Has it been going well for you?"

"It is indeed, and I've been getting by well enough because of it. You wouldn't believe how many girls attend my class." They both walked up the short steps to the front door, and Selene pulled out her key and unlocked the door before opening it. "After you?" She gestured for her daughter to go in, and she obliged as she stepped on through.

The interior of the house looked rather homely. The main hall in front of her had a staircase to the right side of the wall that led to the second floor. A few furnishings were set against the wall of the short hallway, with a desk drawer having two pictures and a glass vase of fake red flowers, and two decoratively carved chairs set on either side of the drawer. There was a long dark blue carpet on the wood floor beneath her boots. She walked up a little more and looked right to see a very spacious room with hardly anything in it.

"So this must be the yoga room, I take it?" She asked as she pointed to the room.

"Yes," she answered as she closed the door. "That's where I conduct my classes. Your boots, please?" She asked as she took off her sandals.

"Oh," she said as she then went to the corner where her sandals were and went into the process of taking them off. With that done and her boots were set next to the sandals, she followed her mother into the room opposite the classroom. This was obviously both a dining area and a kitchen, complete with the essentials a kitchen needed, including a counter and a sink. The table was round with only two chairs set on opposite ends, and had a glass vase containing real vibrant flowers.

"This looks more rustic than the kitchen I have back home." Ella stated. "I can see it having a charm to it."

"I thank you for the flattery," she chuckled, "But there's no need for that. This kitchen is a little more old fashioned than the kitchens back in Vale." She was behind the counter as she opened up the cupboard. "Would you like some Mistral tea?"

"Yes please." Ella went to take a seat while her mother went about preparing the tea. She moved the chair over to one side close to the other before sitting down.

As she waited, meanwhile, Selene pulled out the iron tea kettle and set it on the stove before grabbing a pitcher. She filled it with clear water, and then poured it into the kettle before turning the knob to light up the gas burner underneath.

"So how were you able to find me if I may ask?" She asked.

"It was Headmaster Ozpin who helped me find you all. He's been a great help to me since I've worked for his academy."

"Oh, I see…," then her tone became a bit somber with her next question, "then I guess you know we're divorced then."

"...Yes," she nodded, quietly sighing as her mood went to being uncomfortably somber as well.

"I'm.. sorry you had to hear that." She apologized.

"It's… It's fine I guess. I've gotten over it." Deep down she was not certain if she was. She then shook her head and mentally pushed the depressing thoughts aside. "Besides, seventeen years could make anything change."

"You're right, what's done is done. But are you sure you're okay?"

"It's been a couple days, so I'm over it now, mother," she tried to reassure her, but Selene was not totally convinced.

"Speaking of which. About that question I asked earlier…," Selene spoke but with no resentment this time as she leaned sideways against the counter. "When did you become a Huntress?"

She felt subtly uncomfortable, but since they were walking to her house she had thought ahead to make a story. "I became a Huntress a few months ago since I joined Beacon, but before that I had been hunting Grimm my whole life. I guess you can say I've been a Huntress since I grew up."

"Really?" she wondered aloud, unwittingly falling for the half truth, but she also showed some concern. "So someone else had taught you besides her?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Well at least someone looked after you...," she muttered, and after that, an awkward silence loomed over them, moments before she made to comment. "Though I kind of wish you weren't like your sister."

That irked Ella a bit, though she remembered why she was against the idea. "Mother, I understand that you dislike the idea of me being a Huntress," she said diplomatically, "but you must understand that I didn't have much of a choice when I was there. If it weren't for the old man who found me, I would have died. And I do know that my sister wanted to be a Huntress, just so she would go out and find me."

"How did you know that?" Selene asked, a little surprised that her daughter knew that little detail.

"I learned it from father." She answered. "He told me what happened."

"Oh… So you met your father first."

"Well, he was the only relative living close to me, so I took the opportunity to learn more and went to him." Then chuckled a bit as she thought back. "Heh, I had to prove it to him at first that I was his other lost daughter, almost the same way I to you. It feels… better knowing you're both okay."

Her mother softly smiled at the fond assurance. The awkward silence loomed over them again, but it was only for a short moment before she brought up a different subject, one that Ella had been anticipating. "Tell me Ella, why did it take you this long to come home? You had every opportunity to find a way back, so why didn't you?"

She knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but before she could give her speech, the tea kettle began to whistle and blow out steam, signaling that the water was now seriously hot.

"Hold on, let me go get the tea first." Selene moved away from the counter and went back to the kitchen, turning off the stove and lifted the kettle by the handle to the tea set on the counter, along with a bowl of tea leaves, two glass tea cups, two teapots and an empty bowl.

She set to work by scooping up and putting four teaspoons of tea leaves into the first pot, then poured the hot water into the teapot. After taking a minute to brew, she then lifted the brewed tea pot and poured the tea down an exterior strainer set over the second teapot. It was so the tea leaves would be prevented from entering the second pot, and the flavor the flow through. Once the first had been emptied, she set it aside, took the exterior strainer off and set it in the bowl, and then placed the top over the teapot. Then she gently filled the two glass teacups. With all that done, she picked up the two cups by the plates and went over to the table.

"Here," she offered the teacup to her.

"Thank you." With gentle hands, she took hold of the small plate with both hands and, after getting a hold of the handle, she brought the teacup to her lips before gently blowing on the surface to cool it off a little. Although she did not need to on account of her Semblance making her entirely immune to heat and fire, but regardless, she refrained herself from scaring her mother. She did not forget that she still had to answer the question as her mother waited patiently, so she took a sip to calm herself. The taste was sweet and just about right, clearing away her nervousness before, with a heavy heart, she told her the short answer.

"Remember when I said I do not remember the language? There's more to it than that. The truth is… I couldn't remember." She answered solemnly with her eyes looking down at her tea placed on the table.

"You could not remember?" She asked with confusion written on her face. "Ella, I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"When I got kidnapped and tried to escape, my head got hit hard on accident to a point where I couldn't remember anything but my first name found on my locket. I did escape, but I ended up being lost in a foreign place I could not understand. That's when the old man found me and raised me to being what I am before going off alone."

"So… you're saying you have amnesia?" She asked with trepidation as she lightly covered her mouth with one hand.

"Yes, and I'm still recovering. So far, some of my memories have come back to me, thanks to time and my father." Then she sighed with regret. "I'm sorry I've kept you all waiting for so long."

"Ella." The Good Hunter looked up at her mother, who was giving her a caring smile. "There's no need to apologize." She laid her hand on the table, halfway to her. "I know it's still much to take in but… after everything that's happened, all I can say is that I'm glad you're still okay."

That warmed her heart and made her smile as she laid her hand on her mother's. The peaceful atmosphere and silence lasted for almost several seconds before Ella started again. "There's another reason I came to see you, mother. Father told me you kept all the albums. It would certainly help me recover more of myself, so I was thinking maybe we could look through them together."

"If it helps you to remember more, then I'd be happy to bring them out." She replied positively, but then a thought occurred to her as looked down at her wrist watch and realized it was almost noon. "Perhaps after our tea and dinner sweetie."

"Of course," she agreed. "What dish do you have in mind?"

"Hmm." She pulled herself away and thought for a moment until an interesting dinner meal had come to mind. "How about we have Shakshuka fish fillet for dinner, sound good?" She asked optimistically.

"That sounds so good!" She replied, feeling excited to try something different. "Would it be all right if I lend a hand? I would very much like to know how make fish fillet."

"Yes, I'd appreciate the help, and I would very much love to teach you." With that said, they both got off their chairs and went to work in the kitchen. This experience brought a near permanent smile on both their faces. Nothing could ever be better than having moments between mother and daughter.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lower level

The young lady had led Eileen to the best inn she recommended, calling it The Hissing Trident Inn. The establishment looked almost like any other inn she had paid a visit to, but the interior had more of a mosaic, rustic beauty to it, and the atmosphere was almost lively with the customers enjoying each other's company and themselves, ranging from sailors to tourists, with hardly a cutthroat in sight. To the Night Huntress, she considered it a rare change of scenery for a two story building. After checking herself in for the night, she bade her temporary tour guide farewell and was now going through the shops which caught her interest, all to enjoy herself and kill some time of course.

While walking near the docks, she came across a statue of a bearded man wearing a toga, and in his right hand he held a paper scroll, and he had his left arm stretched out and pointed toward the ocean. There was a commemorative inscription placed against the pedestal which read:

 _This statue was crafted in honorable memory of Theodosis Elatorii, founder of Elatorion. From a mere fishing village over 90 years ago, to the Jewel of Mistral today. May his name be forever remembered in glory._

'A little exaggerated, don't you think?' She mused, and as much as she would like to know more, there were other places to be.

Everywhere she went she saw armed guards, patrolling or keeping watch over the streets, stout, stolid, well-drilled. Always serious, always watching, always measuring. Never relaxing.

This caught her curiosity. So she went to the guardsman standing watch over the docks nearby, to ask some questions, if he would have the time to answer them. "Excuse me."

"Hm?" He grunted in question as he looked over Eileen, still with the stone faced expression as the other guards. He was gruff looking with two scars running down the right side of his face. At least he did not tell her to walk away.

"I couldn't help but notice the guardsmen here are all taking their job very seriously. You look more like an army than a police force."

"That's because we're both the military _and_ the police," he answered stoically. "We work to ensure the people's safety, and the law upheld at all times."

"Hmm, So you do this all day and night?" He nodded. "Doesn't it get tiring after a while? Do they ever take a break?"

"We work in shifts, ma'am, of course, but except for that, we only have breaks when given the order. Not otherwise. Our job is important. It's a lesson we've never forgotten since the pirate raid twenty years ago."

"And you were there?"

"Aye, that's where I got my scars. Back then the port town was peaceful as always. There hardly was any crime at all, so we grew complacent. Lax. And then, the pirates came. It happened at night, and we were caught off guard when they stormed the docks. We drove them off, but at the cost of half our men. Most of us were out of shape then and our captain was killed in the fighting, but if it weren't for our lieutenant, and those who took the job seriously, Elatorion would've been ransacked and overrun with Grimm. A lesson was learned that night, and for the next twenty years we pushed ourselves very hard. We can't let our guard down. And the few slackers who don't understand it get the message after being put through retraining."

After hearing his story, these men earned her respect. The police in Vale did their jobs to maintain law and order as best they could, but there would be times when laziness or corruption would be found among a few of them, and she would end up arresting those corrupt officers in her investigation. These guards' attitude for law and order were as if it was apart of their lives. "You have my respect, guardsman."

He grunted as he nodded. "We have a memorial built to honor those who had fallen defending the town. It's on the east side of town if you want to see it yourself."

"I believe I will. Good day to you, guardsman." The guard nodded one more time before turning back to watch over the docks. Eileen walked away and headed east, but not in the direction of the memorial yet. It was tempting to look at a piece of history and to honor the dead, but there were plenty of curiosities grabbing her attention at the moment. She would get to it eventually after being satisfied, and right now she felt a little hungry. After all, this job looked to be a vacation, so why not take the opportunity? ' _Let's see what this restaurant has in store for me.'_

* * *

Twenty minutes after cleaning the dirty dishes and utensils and putting them away, the two were sitting down on the couch looking through the pictures collected in one of the three albums.

"Aww, we looked so cute." Ella gushed at the photo of Cinder and herself when they were just infants.

"The two of you were so adorable back then." Selene gushed and giggled. "I couldn't help but take many pictures of you two."

"I can see that." Indeed her mother did have many pictures of the two when they were infants, ranging from the time they came into this world in their mother's arms to being at the age of four, much to her small embarrassment. No memories had come to her so far after looking through them. She would not be surprised, she doubted if even Cinder would remember that far back. She did learn that Cinder turned out to be her older sister by two minutes, so they were not exactly twins per say, but they had been born on the same day and month.

While they were halfway through the album, Selene flipped to the next page to reveal them near the age of five. One picture in particular caught her eyes.

"Mom, how in the world did she and I get so dirty?" Ella asked as she giggled while pointing at the picture of her and Cinder in their rain gear, their heads being covered in mud, and her sister was showing off a frog in her hands.

"Oh, that!" She chuckled at the memory. "The two of you were trying to get the frog as a pet. You both ended up getting dirty in the process."

Ella suddenly had a flashback to that event surprisingly, and she chuckled at the reason behind the fight. "I remember now. We were arguing to see who would have it."

"You remember that, do you?" She asked with a smug look and a raised brow. "It took me a while to get all that mud and dirt off your hair."

"Yes." They then both laughed in reaction to her reply. It took several seconds for them to calm down after that.

"Your sister wanted to keep the frog," Selene spoke after calming herself down enough to talk, "but I made it very clear that wild critters aren't meant to be pets."

"So it ended up being a bitter victory," she chuckled.

"The two of you would sometimes get into trouble, but those events were worth remembering."

"Let's see what else is there then." They continued on looking through the first album, with almost each one opening up one memory after another, and each one being just as interesting, embarrassing, or better than the last. There were pictures of their birthdays and holidays, their vacations to various places in both Vale and Mistral, and others were from their beginning years of preschool. Almost a few hours had past, and after going through photos and talking about the stories of her early childhood, the two were almost finished with the second album. Ella's eyes soon spotted the photos of their sixth birthday. She did not need to know what they both had and how much fun the family had together, for she had already remembered them, even with the copied photo of the birthday cake.

"I already remember this event," Ella said smiling fondly. "Father had the copy of all three of us with the birthday cake."

"Yes, I remember this, too." She looked fondly at the photo and memory. After looking at the pictures of presents being opened, she turned to the next page to show pictures of what looked to be a familiar festival in Mistral.

"Is this the Vytal festival in Mistral?" She asked.

"Yes it was. It was where we watched your older cousin take part in his first tournament." And it was true as she began to remember nearly each event within these photos, but then she remembered the scene with the foreign swordsman.

"Do you also remember that foreign Huntsman?"

"I do, and it was quite a sight to see. I don't think any of us would forget about that."

"... I remember that he winked at me." She said uncomfortably.

"He winked at you?" Her mother asked incredulously when she thought back. "I thought he was winking at me. I made sure to stay next to your father the whole time."

"You thought he was going to sweep you away from him?" She asked with a smug look, knowing the obvious answer already.

"He may be handsome in some ways, but he could never match your father." She retorted.

She chuckled at the small girl talk, then she proceeded to look further into the pages. She soon came across scenes of battle on the floating arena floor with the pictures mostly showing her cousin and his team. From the profiles she read, her cousin's name was Alec Loukas; age 24, former team member of team UGRA (Juggernaut), graduate of Haven Academy, and currently full fledged Huntsman. Her memories of him were rather foggy, so her mother explained to her of the events which happened at the tournament. It was unfortunate that his team had lost in the beginning of the singles round, but she did feel a renewed sense of being proud of her cousin for reaching that far on the first try.

With those memories brought back to her, they continued on with page after page of holidays, school events, and a few trips. The Good Hunter began to notice something about Selene's expression. Each time they move to the next page, her happy expression would look rather forced, and as they went on, they would then start to falter more. She had thought it odd at first, but then thinking back to her sixth birthday had made her understand why. Their sixth birthday had turned into a countdown to the tragic day of her kidnapping.

The pictures were now taking place midsummer, and Ella's hand went to the edge of the page when–

"Ella?" Her mother asked forlornly.

She turned her head to meet her mother's sorrowful gaze. "What is it, mother?"

"I'm sure you remember the day you were taken away, right?"

"I do remember," she nodded. "I remember being picked up and shoved into a large sack full of other children."

Hearing the story from her daughter's perception brought a twisted feeling of disgust and regret to her heart. "So you don't know what happened after that."

"Ozpin told me she gave her testimony of the Kidnapper to the authorities."

"Yes she did, but that's not what I meant." Ella did not know what to say other than to look at her questioningly, that is until she watched Selene turn the page for her. She gasped in petrified shock. She looked down at the picture of Cinder lying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages and an arm cast. She looked battered and bruised, and she could see dry tears staining her cheeks showing she was heartbroken and in pain.

"What happened?!" She asked in shock as she returned to her mother's gaze. "How did she end up this way?!"

She stayed quiet for just a second to work up the courage to speak of it. "... She tried to save you, Ella."

The Good Hunter was taken aback and was struck with guilt hearing about this. She did not remember anything of what happened after being thrown into the sack, but her mother continued.

"She tried to tear open the sack…," she explained, but each word slowly became harder to say due to the horror. "But that monster broke your sister's arm and… smacked her away… as if she were nothing." A tear rolled down from her mother's eye for reciting that painful memory of seeing their daughter, unconscious on the ground with a bent arm, as if it were a fresh wound. She wiped away her tears. "She spent weeks in the hospital recovering, but from that day on, nothing would ever be the same."

Then suddenly, Ella had a flashback to that day. "I… only remember the cries and moans of the children inside the sac, but I think I heard my sister.. trying to do something. Then I heard a crack, then I heard her scream, and then… I heard nothing else." A tear rolled down her cheek. So there was a memory of her struggle to save her, but it was all in vain.

"I am so sorry." Selene apologized. "If only I had stayed…"

She shook her head denying the idea. "I don't think there was anything you could've done to stop him. In fact, the alternative would've had us be orphans. I know that it is grim to say that, but I'd rather you all be alive than dead. But I'm back now, and that should be something to be glad for. Right, mother?" She tried to relieve the gloomy atmosphere.

"You're right about that," Selene replied with a soft smile, but then returned to a frown and sighed. "If only your sister thought the same thing if she were still here."

"I was told she ran away," she thought back out loud.

"After everything we went through and what we did, I would not blame her." She answered with some guilt.

"It was because you were being overprotective, right?"

"That… could be a reason, but it wasn't that."

'There was more to it?' Ella gave her a raised eyebrow, curiously wondering if her father had told her the truth or the whole story. 'Maybe the answer will lie in these pages,' she theorized.

Instead of asking her mother, she looked back down at the album and went through the pages, and with careful examination, she was laying witness to Cinder's slow transformation. There was a picture of her at age thirteen, with her first combi-weapon she ever made during her years at Combat School. It was a single edged sword which, upon activation, could be split into twin blades, and upon a different activation, can turn into a bladed bow. She had made a few amateur poses to look cool, which made her giggle inside. However, the change in both attitude and behavior had begun to become more noticeable. She changed from having a smile which looked almost forced, to eventually looking emotionless. Cold. Distant. And at some points even rebellious. She could understand that being rebellious was a natural behavior in teens, but she felt that her behavior had a reason behind it.

Meanwhile, Selene had remained oddly silent after their short talk. With each picture after her absence, she did not make any comment. It was as if she had decided to let her daughter learn the truth with her own eyes through these pages.

Ella was finished with the last page, and the third and final album laid next to her mother.

"May I…?" She asked when she looked back at her mother, gesturing with an open, waiting palm for the third album. Selene nodded in silence, not even saying a single word as she passed the last album to her. With the album now on her lap, she flipped over the cover to see Cinder just like before, but even more cold and rebellious to her parents. She looked through the next few pages, with them showing her great accomplishments and trophies. She had read that her sister was at the top her class in Combat School for both her grades and her skill in combat. Only the occasional loss disrupted what would otherwise had been an uninterrupted string of victories.

She then turned the page to only see a few photos, marking an early abrupt end to the third album. What startled her inside was one picture in particular, showcasing Cinder and Selene in a heated argument during her sister's birthday. She finally looked to her mother questioningly. "What happened, mother?"

"Your sister and I were having an argument over her future," she reminisced. "We all knew why she had been training so hard, but at that point I wanted her to follow a different path. She and I both missed you, but I couldn't stand the thought of losing the only daughter we had left. One thing led to another, and then…," she sighed remorsefully, "I… accidentally told her that it was better to be weak than dead."

"And that's why she ran away." She stated/guessed.

"I would think so. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to keep her from going out into that dangerous world… But I guess, in the end I failed as a mother." She looked away. Tears began to stream down from her watering eyes again as the pain of both sorrow and regret swirled within her heart. She suddenly saw her daughter's hand set over her own. This surprised her a bit as she looked up to see her second daughter smiling sadly back at her. The album was already set aside. Neither one made a word, and Ella laid her head on her mother's shoulder to comfort her. She accepted the gesture without resistance, and she in turn gently brushed her hair with her left hand.

"If only that never happened, mother," she affirmed. After everything she learned from the aftermath of her kidnapping, she never once thought that the scars of their past would one day tear her family apart. If anything, this should not be her parent's fault in all this. Yet at the same time it was, she simply did not know what to feel about it.

"... I would like to wish that…," her mother muttered as she then remained silent and continued to brush her hair, trying to take comfort in the fact that a part of her did come home… but it still felt incomplete.

* * *

The sun was halfway over the horizon. Throughout the entire day, Eileen had simply been indulging herself. After her and her apprentice met up in an alleyway and pulled out their luggage while no one was looking, the former Crow Hunter went back to the inn to relax for the night. She opened the doors to be greeted by the sight of more patrons than before, all sitting around having a drink, a meal, a conversation, or all of the above. She felt tempted to lounge around and have a drink, but she was already feeling full, and her own priorities came first. She greeted the receptionist as she walked by, and kept on going to the stairs leading to the second floor. She soon turned the corner down the hall and eventually stopped and turned to the door on her right.

This was to be her room for the night, so she pulled out her keycard, slid it through the scanner as it then turned green and the door was unlocked. She headed on through, closing the door behind her. Her room had two beds, only because the single bedrooms were all occupied. It also had all the essentials and furniture which almost all the other inns had, containing a desk, two chairs and a round table, a nightstand and lamp, and a bathroom. She sighed in relief of the whole day of walking around town. She set the bag of souvenirs she bought from some of the various stores on the desk to her left, and was thinking about getting ready to change into her sleepwear… when suddenly a twisting portal manifested in the room across from her.

She immediately recognized that portal and begrudgingly knew who summoned it. There was no one in the world who would have a unique Semblance to create a portal, and so she stood there tensely as the one who summoned the portal walked out into her eyesight, wearing a Grimm mask that almost resembled a bird of prey, and carrying her customized sheathed Odachi strapped to her left hip.

"It's been too long, Eileen." She greeted as if she were seeing an old friend after she took off her mask. She looked very similar to Yang sharing the same facial shape. However, her long messy hair was jet black, her brows were a little bit higher, her complexion was significantly lighter and her age lines slightly showed under her crimson red eyes. Her hair was tied by a red and white bandana, and loosely done into a ponytail with the ends resembling curved black feathers. Her outfit consisted of a shallow cut red and black dress with black shorts underneath, with a series of beaded necklaces and a belt that wrapped around her waist which would carry her sword sheath. Her forearms were bearing red armored gauntlets that protruded outwards and solid black, fingerless gloves. She wore black mid-thigh high leggings and black heels with red soles.

"Not long enough, unfortunately," the former Crow Hunter said coldly as she crossed her arms. "What do you want, Raven?"

"Now is that any way to treat an old friend?" Raven Branwen asked mockingly.

"You still call me that, after you turned your back on Ozpin?" She shot back.

Raven snorted dismissively. "I see you're still just as blindly loyal to him. You and I both know of his agenda and the secrets he's kept hidden, even from you."

"That's for me to decide, and as far as I'm concerned, I still go my way," she countered, and grew impatient. "Tell me what you want and leave."

She gestured to the bed across from her after sitting down on one, and gave a sly smile. "Can't I just have a chat with an old colleague?"

She would rather not, but with reluctance, Eileen sat down on the bed. "Sure, we have tons to talk about. How much do you know?"

She crossed her legs. "As much as I've seen and heard. Word had reached me through your old acquaintances that you had come back to Anima. Of course, your so called acquaintances were also wanting to hire me to kill you."

"I see this place is still infested with loose-mouthed fools," Eileen sneered, then asked lightly, already guessing the answer: "Did you take the deal?"

"Now why would I go through all this trouble just to kill you?" She replied condescendingly. "No, I didn't take the deal. Otherwise, what would be the point?"

"Considering you've turned your talents to banditry and contract killing, I wouldn't be surprised."

"I do what is necessary for myself and the tribe." She admitted freely. Eileen had learned that she had returned to her old ways and founded her own bandit tribe in Anima, and said tribe had steadily grown in power, turning from nuisance to annoyance to real concern, as one of the strongest, if not the most notorious, raiding tribes for the kingdom to deal with. She had once tried to hunt her and her tribe down, but somehow they always managed to stay one step ahead of her. There was something to be said of a gang of raiders led by a former Huntress."But enough of that, let's talk about you. I'm surprised you have a new apprentice under your wing."

"Oh? Surprised that I no longer work alone, are you?" She smirked a bit.

"I thought you would no longer take an apprentice after you failed the first time. Why the sudden change of heart? Did Ozpin order you to recruit her to be his new agent?"

"She works with me. She chose to on her own volition and I took her in. I'm just a tutor." She evaded, somewhat telling half of the story in order to cover Ella's secret, but...

"Oh really? And that would be after the event in Huckleberry, correct? Since June?" The only answer she had in return was silence, which made the bandit leader smile. "You wanted to know why I'm here, and this is why. I'm here to talk about the Masked Huntress, or should I say "Good Hunter Ella"."

Eileen frowned. She and Raven had once been good friends, back in their teenage years in Beacon Academy. Bonds had been formed and secrets exchanged. That was why Raven had come to deduce her identity right away. Plus she had been known in the inner circle as their best information gatherer. It was almost surprising to her that she would still remember the stories she told her after so long.

"You know, I almost did not recognize her without the mask, but when it comes to being someone who has gotten out of such a hellish place, I'm disappointed she's not the efficient killer you made her out to be."

"Appearances can be deceiving." She rebutted. "You were never around to see her progress, but I can assure you, she has gotten far better since her return."

"Since her return..." She repeated the words with a chastising tone. "Has she even taken a life yet?"

"What's it to you?" She asked evenly, feeling that she knew where this was going.

"Hmph, it seems like you and Ozpin have kept her on a short leash. It's as if he's afraid of her; afraid that she will one day go back to being the old slayer she used to be. Don't you think you're holding her back from gaining her full potential?"

"And let her be a full blown killer? She would never want to go back to that life."

"Like she has that choice. You and I both know how cruel the world is. Being a softie will only get her chewed to pieces and spat out. One day, she's gonna have to understand when to cross that line and where her loyalties lie, and only then will she know what being strong truly means."

"Being strong, huh…?" She stressed those words. She knew full well about her methods of manipulating a person's emotions. It was one of the ways she would gain information. In retaliation, she shot back with a barb of her own, one she knew would hurt. "That has to be a joke coming from you."

"Tch!" Eileen knew she touched a nerve, and she continued to push it. If Raven was going to try and manipulate her view point, then why not fire back?

"You speak of strength, but all I see is hypocrisy behind those words. Are you strong when you run from those stronger than you?" Now she started getting angry, yet she did not let up. "Were you strong when you ran away from the family you could've had?" At that moment, the sharp tip of Raven's Odachi was at her throat in a flash, but the Night Huntress did not flinch. She only narrowed her eyes at the glaring red irises of an angry Raven standing in front of her.

"That is enough!" She seethed. "You... know nothing about me… or about strength for that matter!" She had a moment of clarity when she glanced down to see Eileen holding her blade firmly beside her. She could very well follow through with the job and kill her right then and there for insulting her, payment be damned. But instead, to her surprise, she reined in her anger as she breathed in, then exhaled through her nostrils as she pulled the blade away from her throat and sheathed it back in. "Family…," she said with controlled hate of the name, "... is nothing more than a weakness. I've gotten what I needed. We're done here."

The bandit chief went around the bed and stood four feet in front of the wall. She pulled out her blade again, she concentrated on her Semblance and then sliced downward at the air. As if she had cut through an invisible wall that is reality, a portal appeared where she used her Odachi. Eileen watched her step toward, but suddenly she stopped. The woman stood still, being rather quiet as if in thought, and this made the Night Huntress raise an eyebrow curiously, but otherwise she stayed quiet as well. After a moment of awkward silence…

"Tell me…," Raven started in an oddly calm, melancholic manner. "How is she?"

She knew who Raven was referring to, so she answered honestly for her. "She's made it to Beacon Academy, and is now in a team along with her half sister."

"... I see." She replied neutrally.

"She's as reckless as you were back then."

"...Then it'll be her downfall, sooner or later." Raven finally replied. Then, without another word, she went through the portal, and just as she left, it disappeared.

Eileen stared at the spot where her erstwhile best friend had stood a moment ago.

"That pride of yours is going to kill what's left of you," she said quietly to the empty room. "If you care so much about your daughter…"

But she had not let go of her pride in all these years. She was not going to do it now.

She sighed sadly. "Guess I'll be having that drink after all." She stood up from her bed and went out of the bedroom to join the bar.

* * *

The night had finally come, and the lights inside the homes of nearly all the natives have been snuffed out, as everyone had already gone to rest. Not Ella, though. She could be seen leaning forward against the railing on the second floor as she looked beyond the port town and out over the sea, illuminated by the shattered moon to give the water a more serene scenery. It was a pretty picture no doubt, and one she would want to take a photo right now for the memories, but sadly that was not on her mind. Though feeling relaxed from watching the scenery, her thoughts had been troubled still after seeing the albums. Sure, the memories she regained were wonderful to her, but the story of what happened after had made her heart ache.

What happened after… she could only remember very little of her time on Earth. It made her feel incomplete, like parts of her were still yet to be found. Perhaps her time there was horrible, or perhaps not, but in her opinion, it felt like nothing compared to the tragedy of her family's fate. Her family did not deserve to endure such a fate, truly, but she had to convince herself to face the reality that it happened. Coming home to a separate family, a missing sister who could either be dead or alive; the latter made her worry. If only the Kidnapper did not die that night, then perhaps…

She paused. What would have happened if Eileen and her team did manage to rescue her? Would she still want be a Huntress? And for Eileen and the others being brought back to life here, during a time before her capture, would she and those the Good Hunter met still exist? Or would they cease to exist?

The deeper she pondered on this new topic, the more she felt as if there was a reason behind it all. And if that were so, was she truly fated to be taken away, and to survive in that dreadful world? If that were truly the case, it would have made her blood boil to the point of wanting to scream up at the gods for this cruel fate… if they existed that is. Now she was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth when it came to faith and religion, yet after learning and seeing all there was of the Eldritch Truth, and battling Great Ones whom were worshiped as gods by the church, the experience changed her perception of how things are in the universe. This had suddenly become a new curiosity to her, but the answers could not easily be sought.

Looking up at the moon one more time, she then decided to turn herself in as she let go of the railing and returned to her room, closing the window doors behind her. At least she could finally be in her usual sleepwear after spending two days of travel in her outfit. She lifted the covers of the bed and crawled herself in. She reached out and turned off the lamp sitting next to her on a nightstand before laying face up at the ceiling. The comfort of both the blanket and mattress had started their spell to make her feel very tired, but before she could close her dreary eyes, there was something in the back of her mind that needed attention, but she was becoming too tired to even care. She figured she would address it some other time. Her eyes finally closed, and she was off to dreamland once again.

* * *

 **A/N: Ugh, after months, it's finally DONE! I can understand that you all may be wondering why this took so long to finish. Well, the answers are quite simple really; I've been too busy with my life, I've been a bit lazy, and the dialogue was very difficult to jot down because of certain characters. As for my life, I've been dating someone until it ended badly. We're still friends, it's just never gonna happen again. I've joined a HEMA group (Historic European Martial Arts), so I'll be joining them in training sessions every Wednesday. I used to work third shift as a janitor at Walmart, but since the company has shut that shift down in my store, I'm now working first shift. I suppose it's a nice change for day time, and I no longer have to be called a vampire, but it's still something I'm trying to get used to. I've been working on both stories so far, and I'm still gonna keep working on them when I get the chance. So no worries on having them being left unfinished.**

 **So it looks like Ella has almost caught up with her family… almost. Her sister is the last one on the list to find, but we all know where she really is at the moment. I figured that since Ella still has a surviving family, I figured I would add in another member of the family, her cousin Alec Loukas. I know that not much is said about him, and he won't be making an appearance in a long while. Still, I'm thinking about adding more members of her family, if only a few.**

 **I hope you guys liked the lore I've added to the port town, including the guards. I always wondered where their culture had started from. Well, I know they all live in Anima but** _ **where**_ **in Anima, so I figured maybe they're all spread out along the coasts like the Greek colonies of ancient Europe. That was until season 6 came out, but I kept my idea of it anyways. (Correct me if I'm wrong)**

 **I had a difficult time with the dialogue between Raven and Eileen, since I'm not too good with canon characters in my opinion. Had to change the whole thing once because their conversation didn't make much sense to me, and plus how Raven got inside the inn was also something I had to change to make sense. I hope this was all well, and you all now know they have a history together.**

 **The next chapter will be about Ella making her decision to either quit the Beacon job or continue with it.**

 **I would like to give a shoutout to my buddy CruxMDQ for his amazing proofreading.**

 **This is Kyro2009, signing off.**


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